FRODO AND THE FACULTY
by J7339
Summary: Throwing the Fellowship characters and the movie together and see what happens Just for fun and a laugh. Hope you enjoy
1. Default Chapter

FRODO AND THE FACULTY  
  
Author's Notes : This is supposed to be just for fun. I have only just revisited Elijah Wood's movie "The Faculty" and while my mind was taken over, had the idea to write something humorous involving the Fellowship and the movie characters.  
  
As I watched I was thinking, he gets into these roles where he is supposed to save everyone else and decided to take the fun out both.  
  
This is a one off thing - just for entertainment and I hope that people who read this and think that the author has lost her marbles will still continue to read my other stories for LOTR which try and stick closer to the original story line.  
  
The Fellowship can see and hear everything that is going on at the school, including making some interesting comments about the new image for Frodo and his use of colourful language. They cannot interact with him and he doesn't know they exist. Gandalf is only along as purely an advisor for the rest of the Fellowship on some of the more modern things about the human world that they encounter.  
  
Where I can I have chosen a more appropriate method of using such colourful language - i.e. "F.k" and "Sh." where they are needed. I wanted to be mindful that a lot of people might be offended - others not and will make others up as I go along as needed.  
  
I have exaggerated the personalities of all slightly but please don't be offended - just mean as a poke in fun at them all. You don't need to understand why it happens that Frodo is now a high-school kid, just believe it and read and ignore anything that doesn't usually fit our beloved hobbit.  
  
The story begins after ROTK where Frodo is supposed to be famous for his deeds. Gandalf comes rushing in to tell them about Frodo's sudden disappearance and that he now dwells in a new world of humans that needs him to save the day again.  
  
Story beginning.....  
  
The members of the fellowship were the most relaxed they had been in a very long time. The quest was ended and after the city had been repaired enough to make it inhabitable again, there was time to rejoice in their few found peace and prosperity.  
  
All except Frodo were currently gathered around a large dining table in the centre in one of the Great Halls, quietly talking amongst themselves and enjoying food, wine and song.  
  
"How fairs your master these days Sam?" Aragorn asked, noting it was unusual for the hobbit to be separated from Frodo. "I haven't seen much of him today."  
  
"He is physically well Mr Strider, but I fear that it has been most taxing on him mentally and emotionally. He spends a great deal of time on his own and demands that he is left alone as he comes to terms with what happened," Sam explained.  
  
"We will save some food for him anyway," Merry said as he and Pippin were well on the way to making themselves very full. Legolas and Gimli just laughed at the sight of the hobbit's appetites. They had still not met a being that equalled their enjoyment and love of food or wine they noted, with several empty wine jars almost empty alone the table.  
  
"He wouldn't eat breakfast this morning and was going to go to sleep last I seen before he told me to join you all here and let him have his solitude," Sam informed them.  
  
The feast and talk soon came to an abrupt end when the large doors to the hall suddenly blew open and then closed again with a resounding slam. The Fellowship could now see the wizard Gandalf coming towards them at a great pace with worry etched on his face.  
  
"Gandalf my friend, what urgent business brings you here in such haste?" the King asked casually.  
  
"I am afraid I am the bearer of somewhat distressing news to you all," Gandalf began, looking directly at Aragorn and then Sam, knowing that what he had to say would affect them the most.  
  
Sam could feel the hairs on the back of his neck raise with fear, already sensing that whatever Gandalf had to say involved Mr Frodo.  
  
"Frodo has been attacked," Gandalf said, not sugar coating it. "He has disappeared."  
  
"What!" Aragorn demanded, already to his feet and drawing his sword at the thought that the former ring-bearer still faced danger when he should be receiving the highest honours and praise.  
  
"How did somebody get through the guards to his chambers?" Legolas asked, he too now on his feet along with everyone else previously seated at the table.  
  
"I am afraid that there is a power much stronger than my own here at work my friends. I went to check on how Frodo was doing and all I found where these," he said, pulling out Frodo's clothes that he would have normally worn.  
  
Sam immediately grabbed the clothes out of the wizard's hand "But if these are his clothes, then what have they done to Mr Frodo?" he finally asked, dread filling every pore in his small stout body.  
  
"There is no sign of the ring-bearer, only what he had on. I found these on the floor near the doorway, as if he was already trying to flee his assailant," Gandalf said. "I have gained some information about what has happened to Frodo but I do not what the future holds for him."  
  
"Quickly tell us Gandalf so that we may slay whatever holds him captive," Aragorn said ready to defend the ring-bearer with his life as he had pledged to do so before leaving Rivendell.  
  
"It will not be that easy this time Strider. Frodo has been taken to another time and place, far from here with a purpose that he is to help save another world like he did Middle Earth."  
  
"Where have they taken my master please Mr Gandalf," Sam asked, close to tears that he had not been near Frodo enough to prevent this tragedy.  
  
"To the world of the big people known as "United States of America", where all who live there are humans like you Aragorn."  
  
"Why do they want Frodo?" Legolas asked.  
  
"Because the place where he is will be soon under a threat from being taken over by another race. He has no memory of Middle-Earth or the deeds he carried out here. Frodo has been given a new identity and new form as a human so that he will blend in more easily. He is also unaware of what his task is at present and I do not know when he will told."  
  
"How is he to fight the enemy then if he does not know about it or who he is?" Gimli enquired.  
  
"There is a new type of Fellowship to be formed that will see them all band together, much like we did. I must admit I see distinct similarities between the conflict in personalities in this group and those that existed when we were all brought together at the Council by Lord Elrond."  
  
"So he is to have help then," Aragorn said, thinking that not all hope had been lost.  
  
"I am not so sure about that Aragorn, for it is hard to determine if they will be more of a hindrance to Frodo once he knows what he has to do. I do not know what these others look like, but I have a list of names that will help us discover who they are."  
  
"Discover who they are, so we are to travel to this new world as well and assist the ring-bearer once again?" Aragorn asked.  
  
"No Aragorn, as I said, my powers in such a matter are limited. We are to be observers only on this mission. We will see Frodo and will be able to hear what goes on, but I do not have the skills to enable us to take on a physical form that we can help him."  
  
"I don't care what you say Gandalf, if we are going to this other world, than I say we do whatever we can to help my master Mr Frodo," Sam said, a little more harshly than he would have normally used towards the wizard.  
  
"And we are going too," Merry and Pippin declared together, with the same determination they had used when they were included in the Fellowship from Rivendell.  
  
"Are you coming too Gandalf?" Pippin asked.  
  
"Yes Pippin I am, for I fear that there will be many new customs in this new world that you will find unusual or confusing. I have some knowledge of things and their purpose and will ask any questions as I can. I cannot promise that I will be able to answer all questions."  
  
"How are we to recognize Frodo if his appearance has been altered?" Legolas asked.  
  
"I believe that he is mostly unchanged except the fact that he is now human and not hobbit. His clothes no doubt will be different from those he would normally wear, but I am sure that we will all recognize the ring-bearer once we see him."  
  
"Too right we will," Sam said out loud. "I'd know Mr Frodo anywhere, especially those blue eyes of his that have been described so many times. What is his name in this new world?"  
  
"Um let me see," Gandalf said as he paused a minute and pulled out a piece of parchment that he had scribbled on. "Casey.... Casey Connor."  
  
"Doesn't sound as good as Frodo Baggins," Merry said, thinking his cousin's new identity sounded a little more than weird.  
  
"Okay are we all ready to go, for I do not know how much time we have," Gandalf said to all. "If there is any chance that Frodo finishes his task, then it may mean a way of coming back to us here in Middle Earth and things becoming normal once again."  
  
With all the Fellowship gathered as close as they could to each other, Gandalf uttered a spell and tapped his staff on the floor three times. They all began to feel as if they were floating. Floating higher and higher and then nothing for a few seconds except blackness.  
  
After what seemed a long time, the Fellowship members found their vision clearing and beginning to reveal their new surroundings. The terrain was certainly different to anything they had come across before, even during their travels to Mount Doom.  
  
"Where are we?" Aragorn asked for everyone present.  
  
"Herrington, Ohio, United States of America," the wizard declared.  
  
All turned their attention to a large concrete looking building in front of them with grassy areas in the front. The sharp corners and squarish look of the building made it look harsh and cold.  
  
"What is this place Gandalf?" Legolas asked as the surroundings became truly unfamiliar.  
  
"It is a place for learning Legolas. Called a High-school, it is a place where all young males and females of the human race are required to attend to gain knowledge and to read and write. Frodo's age in this world is about the same all of those here."  
  
"Doesn't sound all that bad then Gandalf," Sam commented as he thought that he would have liked to have gone to such a place. A place for learning sounded just like his master Mr Frodo.  
  
The Fellowship now found themselves wandering through the various groups of people, taking in their appearances and their mannerisms as they went. They all breathed in relief that their stares and observations went totally unnoticed.  
  
"These are the humans that the ring-bearer has been asked to help defend?" Gimli asked incredulously, cringing at those who seemed to have painted body parts or pieces of metal coming from various places as eyebrows and noses.  
  
"Where is Frodo?" Merry asked.  
  
"I do not know, but he will no doubt be around here somewhere," Gandalf replied.  
  
"How are we to find him amongst this most odd looking group?" Gimli asked, noting that there were a great number of young people beginning to converge on the area. Sorting themselves into various groups. Some just girls, some had darker coloured skin, others were all boys in a group. Never had he seen so many different looking kinds gathered in one place before.  
  
"Some of them are even more uglier than you my dear dwarf," Legolas commented with a laugh. Gimli looked to glare at him but then grinned himself, noting that what the elf said was entirely true.  
  
Aragorn's attention was drawn to a large looking yellow carriage for a minute as it pulled up a short distance from them. "How is it that such a large vehicle is able to move without the use of horses or animals of burden?"  
  
"In this world Aragorn, technology has advanced itself greatly from what we know in Middle Earth. They have a driver up front to steer and guide it as it goes, but underneath there is a engine made of metal that generates power and allows it to move otherwise unassisted. It is commonly called a bus."  
  
"Very strange," Aragorn whispered. He now watched as many of these humans now began filing out of an opening on one side of the carriage.  
  
"Is that him?" Sam asked as he too watched the teenagers file out of the bus and head towards the building. "He gotten a brief glimpse of a pale face and striking blue eyes that matched those of his master.  
  
"Frodo!" Aragorn said as the group now made it's way closer to the doorway of the bus. They now saw a boy that did look like the ring-bearer.  
  
"He's much taller anyway," was Merry's first comment.  
  
"He's still got those blue eyes and that pale skin," Sam noted. "They don't seem to be feeding him still though," he added, as he gazed up and down Frodo's still lean frame.  
  
"Those clothes don't look very warm," Legolas noted, taking interest in the t-shirt that Frodo wore and the jeans. They were not as elegant as the cloaks that they had received back in Lorien.  
  
"The climate is somewhat milder here during the day Legolas," Gandalf said, trying to put an end to a few of their already gathering concerns.  
  
"What is that strange object around his neck?" Pippin asked, noting that there was a large black strap keeping it in place.  
  
"It is known as a camera Pippin. It seems that in this world people are able to keep images of themselves and others on pieces of shiny parchment for many many years. The camera takes the pictures by looking through a piece of glass. The art of taking such pictures is called photography and I believe that our young friend has a particular interest in the subject and is somewhat good at it."  
  
"I am sure that my master Mr Frodo is good at a lot of things here," Sam said proudly. "I must say his hair looks very different that much shorter and the curls all gone."  
  
"Remember he has to blend in here with everyone else Samwise," Gandalf said in reply.  
  
"He looks happy enough," Aragorn said as they now began following their ring-bearer friend towards the front of the school.  
  
Without warning, Frodo's progress was halted abruptly when an elbow suddenly struck him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground and raise his hand towards the problem area.  
  
"Sorry" the stunned Fellowship heard Frodo say in apology as if it had been an accident of his own doing.  
  
Nobody stopped to see if Frodo was hurt or not or needed assistance getting back on his feet. People passed around him as if he wasn't there, totally ignoring the blood that was evident on his face.  
  
"Such treatment of the ring-bearer will not go unpunished," Aragorn declared, drawing a short sword out and preparing to inflict bodily injury to one who would cause Frodo pain. He gritted his teeth in frustration when he remembered that their presence had no effect on the outcome of what happened to Frodo.  
  
"Crash and burn Casey," came the comment from a girl who had just passed by and witnessed the incident. She like the others, did not stop, and there was an almost pitying look on her face.  
  
"Why does she have black eyes like that Gandalf?" Legolas asked, intrigued at the girl's face.  
  
"It's called make-up my elf friend. Some females here where it in different ways, some to enhance their looks, others such as this one to hide themselves behind and keep others at a distance by trying to look threatening.  
  
"How could they do that for no reason?" Sam said in disgust at watching his master.  
  
Frodo looked to be no worse for wear and was about to get to his feet when his arms and legs were grabbed on all sides by four new assailants.  
  
"No put me down!" Casey shouted, trying to wriggle out of their grasp. He looked forward and saw what they intended to do. "Get the f..k off me," he yelled again.  
  
The Fellowship could do nothing to help their friend and cringed as they saw the teenager thrown bodily against a long tall pole in front of them. Not once, but three time before he was released and thrown back towards the ground, curling himself up slightly at the pain running through his legs and groin area.  
  
"Welcome to the jungle," Casey said to himself as he got up and started walking slowly towards the school again.  
  
A few minutes later, the Fellowship had followed Casey into the boy's bathroom at the school. The teenager tried to stem the flow of blood from his nose, angry at himself that he couldn't stand up any better for himself.  
  
"F..k" they heard him stay angrily to nobody. Once to begin with and then a few in a row, tossing away the blood-soaked cloth.  
  
"What does that word mean Gandalf?" Aragorn asked, noting that they had all heard various others saying it outside as well.  
  
Gandalf's face took on a disapproving look at first in answer to the question "Lets just say that it is a curse word. Naughty word, not to be heard by those with tender ears," he remarked, looking towards Pippin.  
  
"Normally I would tell you to put your hands over your ears Pippin, but since the word and others like it are used so prevalently in this world, than I will just say that once your cousin returns to us, we will need to have a stern talk with him about the use of most uncomplimentary words."  
  
"I never heard Mr Frodo angry before and to say such words," Sam said. "I hope he doesn't get hurt again too soon."  
  
This world is so strange Gandalf and for a reason unknown to us, Frodo has been brought here to save these people that seem to have little or no interest in him. This place seems to pose more of a threat to the ring-bearer than anything we could have faced back in Middle Earth," Gimli commented.  
  
"I agree with you Gimli, but there is an evil feeling to this place that I can feel even now. It is still weak, but growing by the minute. I just wish I knew what the threat was," the wizard said.  
  
Casey now left the bathroom and started heading down a corridor in the building. He stopped at a row of metal cupboards and opened one of them and took out a book and placing his camera inside before closing it.  
  
Just as he closed the cupboard, a larger dark-skinned boy, much taller than Frodo deliberately walked passed, causing the leaner teenager to careen into them.  
  
"Dweeb," came the words thrown at Casey.  
  
The Fellowship could only suppress their growing outrage at the treatment of their friend. There was no way they were going to let these people get away with their abuse and lack of concern.  
  
As the morning progressed, the members of the Fellowship became aware of many personality changes in their young friend that were only just beginning to emerge.  
  
They heard the various insults hurled at him from others students and he seemed to give just as many back in return. There was also a few occasions where he was deliberately knocked against a wall or tripped over as he walked through the crowded corridors.  
  
Aragorn was the most outraged and wished there was something he could do to help the teenager. But then there were a few things that happened in that first few hours that made them think that Casey wasn't as much of a target as he appeared to be. When it came down to it, he was just a part of some of the antics that were carried out against the teachers.  
  
The first had happened during the first lesson of the day. The Fellowship were gathered at the back of the classroom, determined to keep a close eye on their young charge. Frodo was sitting in about the middle of the classroom, his attention drawn into a book that he held in front of him.  
  
A teacher now walked into the classroom and walked up to the board, writing something on the blackboard behind her. Some of the students were looking at her strangely as if they had never seen her before.  
  
"Who the hell is this?" Casey asked himself in a whisper.  
  
"Good Morning Class, your regular teacher Mr Walker couldn't be here today so I will be your substitute teacher," the woman informed them.  
  
"Yeah right!" Casey said and in addition to every other student in the classroom, proceeded to pack up his books and belongings and head out of the classroom.  
  
"Do they not hold any respect for adults Gandalf?" Legolas asked, noting that Frodo had shown little respect for the new teacher.  
  
"In this world my friend, these teenagers don't take well to changes in their routine. They hate being here to begin with and when something like this crops up, they show their displeasure in numbers," Gandalf replied.  
  
The Fellowship followed silently behind Casey, wondering where he was headed to next.  
  
A few comments could be heard from the other students as they passed by.  
  
"Can you believe they wanted to put that baby sitter with us today?" said one boy to his friend.  
  
"Yeah Drake must think we are going to be her little puppets," said the other.  
  
The next incident that the Fellowship witnessed was entirely derived by Frodo and one of the other students as they approached the grassy lawns around the buildings.  
  
"Can you believe this sh..t," Frodo said out loud. "The sign says don't walk on the grass."  
  
"Yeah and it's not even good for smoking," said a taller boy behind Casey.  
  
"Trust you to think of an alternative use for it Zeke," Casey accused him sarcastically.  
  
"At least they still have one enjoyable pastime in this world Gandalf," Merry said cheerfully at the mention of smoking. He couldn't see any pipes nearby but maybe all wasn't totally lost in this world.  
  
"Come on Case, lighten up, your just too tense these days," Zeke said as he pretended to cuff him across the head.  
  
"Up for some fun are you Zeke?" Casey asked with a gleam of mirth in his eyes.  
  
"Anytime your ready," Zeke answered, happy to follow the younger boy's lead.  
  
"Zeke is one of the names that appears on this list," Gandalf now informed the others. "He is to be one of those helping Frodo when it is needed.  
  
As it turned out, Zeke and Casey took an alternative route to their classes and turned up 10 minutes later than everyone else after the class had started.  
  
The two started heading towards the back of the classroom as if nothing had transpired but were quickly halted by the teacher addressing them.  
  
"Mr Connor," came a demanding voice from behind that made Casey jump slightly.  
  
"Mr Tate," Casey answered in his usually soft voice as if he had done nothing wrong.  
  
"Don't play games with me you little bas..d," the teacher said as he attempted to grab a fist full of the teenager's shirt.  
  
"Why are you late to my class and don't even think of lying to me or I will have you in detention so long that your grandkids will be graduating before you," the teacher snarled.  
  
"The college has a lot of areas that Principal Drake is trying to grow grass on. They are roped off so we weren't supposed to walk on them," Casey answered casually.  
  
"There are signs on the rope that say we have to walk all the way around Mr Tate, so that's what Zeke and I did - the fence line of the school is some 500 metres beyond the back of the buildings. We walked "All the way around" just to get to class."  
  
"I going to nail you're ass to the wall one of these days Connor," Tate now hissed back. "Mark my words, nail your ass to the wall," he said a bit louder.  
  
"But if you do that Mr Tate, you will have to kiss it better," Zeke chimed in which sent both he and Casey and the rest of the class into wails of laughter.  
  
Gimli couldn't help but laugh at the tactics that Frodo had used. He got some glares from some of the other Fellowship members but he didn't care, the kid had shown some guts and apart from that it had been just darned funny.  
  
It was only an hour later before the team of Casey and Zeke were at their little stunts again, this time Zeke seeming to take the lead. Whilst in wood-shop class, the two of them had discretely made a hole in the floorboard and concealed what they were doing with a desk.  
  
They appeared to be paying attention to the class, but as some of the other students watched more closely, they saw Zeke now pour an entire bottle of adhesive into the hole itself. Then as the class wore on, they used their feet to scrap any little particles of wood and sawdust that they could get off the floor into the hole.  
  
Once the class was ended and the students exited the room, keen to see exactly where all of the wood and dust had gone to, they were all most amused to see that the classroom had been directly over the teachers car park. And upon closer inspection they saw that the adhesive and wood shavings had all fallen onto the roof of one car in particular: Mr Tate's.  
  
About half way through the day, it appeared time for students to sit down and eat. This is where Zeke and Casey parted company for a time, Zeke headed towards his car to meet a few future clients and Casey headed towards the sports oval with a small brown paper bag in his hand and his camera slung around his neck.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
  
I just added the extra parts in - these actually come from my own high- school days (quite a while ago now).  
  
It was me and my classmates that did the walk around the fence line gag and the grass except we did it for almost a week before the teachers asked why we were late for every single class.  
  
The wood-shaving incident is also true except for the name of the teacher we did it too.  
  
And the substitute teacher as well - that was the funniest thing we ever did - she walked in and announced she was the substitute teacher - we all got up and walked out.  
  
This was the sum total of my delinquency during high school I have to say - for the rest of the time I was a quiet and reserved. This all took place in our first year of high-school.  
  
Still nuts and will update again soon.  
  
JULES 


	2. Chapter 2

FRODO AND THE FACULTY  
  
Author's Notes : This is supposed to be just for fun. I have only just revisited Elijah Wood's movie "The Faculty" and while my mind was taken over, had the idea to write something humorous involving the Fellowship and the movie characters.  
  
As I watched I was thinking, he gets into these roles where he is supposed to save everyone else and decided to take the fun out both.  
  
This is a one off thing - just for entertainment and I hope that people who read this and think that the author has lost her marbles will still continue to read my other stories for LOTR which try and stick closer to the original story line.  
  
The Fellowship can see and hear everything that is going on at the school, including making some interesting comments about the new image for Frodo and his use of colourful language. They cannot interact with him and he doesn't know they exist. Gandalf is only along as purely an advisor for the rest of the Fellowship on some of the more modern things about the human world that they encounter.  
  
Where I can I have chosen a more appropriate method of using such colourful language - i.e. "F.k" and "Sh." where they are needed. I wanted to be mindful that a lot of people might be offended - others not and will make others up as I go along as needed.  
  
I have exaggerated the personalities of all slightly but please don't be offended - just mean as a poke in fun at them all. You don't need to understand why it happens that Frodo is now a high-school kid, just believe it and read and ignore anything that doesn't usually fit our beloved hobbit.  
  
The story begins after ROTK where Frodo is supposed to be famous for his deeds. Gandalf comes rushing in to tell them about Frodo's sudden disappearance and that he now dwells in a new world of humans that needs him to save the day again.  
  
If you haven't read the first chapter or even if you have - it has had some changes done to it so you might want to go back and revisit it before continuing on with this chapter.  
  
NEXT PART -  
  
About half way through the day, it appeared time for students to sit down and eat. This is where Zeke and Casey parted company for a time, Zeke headed towards his car to meet a few future clients and Casey headed towards the sports oval with a small brown paper bag in his hand and his camera slung around his neck.  
  
The Fellowship were now gathered silently around Casey as he sat on the very top row of the grandstand, eating his lunch on his own and gazing out at the sports ground surrounding him.  
  
"It looks as though not everything about our young ring-bearer has changed," Gandalf commented.  
  
"He still seems to enjoy his solitude," Legolas noted.  
  
"At least he is eating," Sam chimed in, happy to see his master with food and a drink in his hand.  
  
"He does seem to have that strange looking thing around his neck most of the time," Merry said in reference to the camera.  
  
Casey now got up from the grandstand, and started to descend the rows as he continued to drink his carton of juice.  
  
"I can't believe I am seeing my master wearing shoes on his feet," Sam said, looking rather interested at the dark coloured sneakers that currently adorned Casey's feet.  
  
Casey was now walking along the running track and changed direction to the grassy sports ground. He was looking down at the ground as he went, looking for any opportunity to use his camera if something presented itself.  
  
As it so happened, something on the grass did catch his eye, but his curiosity was heightened too much and he had completely forgotten about the camera slung around his neck.  
  
"What does he see?" Aragorn asked, trying to stand behind Frodo.  
  
Casey whipped his head around as if he heard somebody say something. He looked directly behind him and then either side, searching for the person who could have spoken.  
  
"Now you're hearing voices," Casey berated himself, once again turning his attention to the strange looking object on the ground.  
  
"He heard me!" Aragorn said in astonishment, not having any other explanation for the teenager making such a statement.  
  
"It would seem so Aragorn, but lets just play it safe for a few minutes before in case you scare him," Gandalf advised.  
  
Casey now stood up but was still examining the small, ear shaped thing resting in the palm of his hand.  
  
"What are you doing here," a voice demanded from behind him.  
  
Casey turned around startled, hiding his hands behind his back as if to conceal what he held. "Um, I was just eating my lunch Sir," the boy answered.  
  
The Fellowship could now see a man standing in front of Casey, wearing dress shorts and a polo-necked shirt. He had a strange look on his face but didn't look particularly threatening.  
  
"This isn't the school cafeteria son," the coach said, walking up closer to Casey.  
  
"Sorry," Casey mumbled and turned as if to walk away. He didn't know why but something made him feel very uncomfortable in the man's presence all of a sudden.  
  
"I've seen you around school, but I forget your name," the coach now asked, his question making the teenager turn around and answer.  
  
"Casey" he replied simply.  
  
"You're not much into sports are you?" the coach said, making it sound more like he was a second class citizen or something because of it.  
  
"I don't believe a person should run unless they are being chased Sir," Casey answered truthfully. Running was just something he had never been good at and he would rather just stay away from the track and sports fields than to make an even bigger fool out of himself than normal.  
  
"Unless being chased," the coach repeated, his face suddenly turning into a smirk. "I like that."  
  
"You just remember that Mr Casey. Next time I feel the need to chase someone, you had better be ready to run!" the coach said, widening his smirk into a grin that seemed to bore right through.  
  
"I don't like this," Merry stated, seeing the look on his cousin's face that was almost fear.  
  
"Go on get out of here," the man now barked at Casey.  
  
The teenager didn't need any second invitation and started heading back towards the school buildings, briefly glimpsing back towards the coach for a few seconds and wondered at the statement he had made.  
  
The first session after lunch was sports, so Casey was in the football locker rooms, going through some of the stuff in his locker.  
  
The large black kid that the Fellowship had seen give Casey a hard time earlier that day, now walked into the room with a group of larger boys behind him.  
  
"Your breathing my air dickwad," came the comment towards Frodo. Once again the Fellowship wanted to tear this person limb from limb. It seemed that the ring-bearer was to be taunted at his every turn.  
  
"How the f..k can you tell that your breathing at all," Casey muttered under his breath.  
  
"What did you say you little weasel?" Gabe now said with a snarl, hearing the comment.  
  
"You heard me," Casey said, knowing that he was going to get punched anyway. He might as well have his say before he went down in a screaming heap.  
  
The Fellowship were a little awed at this open display of strength by Frodo when he faced those bigger and stronger than himself. They had seen it many times back in Middle Earth and it seemed that he had brought some of that strength with him here as well.  
  
Casey was now looking back towards the larger boy with defiance flashing from his blue eyes. Just before he felt the first punch thrown, another large boy came into the room, halting proceedings momentarily.  
  
"Leave him be Gabe, he's not worth it," Stan said as he passed by.  
  
Gabe looked back at Casey again and suddenly lost the urge to cream the wimp. "Yeah your right Stan, not worth it," he repeated and shoved Casey roughly into the lockers and walking away with his followers not far behind.  
  
Aragorn and the others couldn't help but sigh in relief that nothing had happened to Frodo in the end.  
  
"Thanks Stan," Casey mumbled to the other teenager in the room as he sat down on one of the benches in the room.  
  
"Hey, I didn't do it to save your skinny butt," Stan poked in fun. "I just don't want to hang around and explain to the coach about the messy puddle on the floor when he finished."  
  
Stan and Casey both laughed before Stan headed into the showers, leaving Casey sitting on the bench still.  
  
A few minutes later, Casey heard Stan yelling from the showers.  
  
"Did you get too much soap in your eyes or something Stan?" Casey said getting to his feet to investigate. He couldn't hold back a gasp of horror at what he was seeing.  
  
At some point during Stan taking a shower, Mrs Brumel, an elderly teacher had wandered into the boy's shower room, completely naked. She was know grasping out towards Stan with her long thin arms and bony fingers.  
  
"Get away from me," Stan shouted, wrapping a towel around himself and then trying to back away from the teacher. He and Casey both ignored the fact that she was naked for the moment.  
  
"They are here, they want to get us all," Brumel screeched at Stan as she put her hands on his shoulders.  
  
Stan found himself trying to pull the hysterical old woman away from her, as he did so, a large chunk of her scalp and hair came away in his hand, leaving a large, gaping and bloody wound on her head.  
  
"ARHHH," Casey and Stan both screamed together, scrambling over each other to get out of the shower room.  
  
About half an hour after this, Gandalf and the group now watched on in silence as one of the other teachers from the school addressed Casey and Stan about what had happened to the other woman.  
  
Stan was standing up talking to the teacher, whilst Casey was sitting down against a window, trying hard to listen to the conversation, but his attention kept being drawn outside towards the sports oval.  
  
"Very old....has been diagnosed with cancer....on a lot of medication," were about the only words Casey caught out of the whole thing.  
  
"I would appreciate it if you can both keep this as quiet as possible," the teacher now said to Stan and Casey. "Casey?" she repeated, looking towards the boy who was still looking out the window.  
  
Casey couldn't be sure that his eyes were deceiving him or not so he lifted his camera to his eyes and looked through the lens, adjusting the zoom so that the image came closer.  
  
Coach Willis was out on the sports oval, standing under the school's massive sprinkler getting soaking wet. "Why the hell is he doing that?" Casey asked himself, thinking that he had witnessed not only one strange thing today.  
  
"Casey do we understand each other?" the teacher repeated for the third time, a little louder this time to bring his attention back to her.  
  
"Yeah sure," the teenager commented, looking at Stan for an explanation to what was going on. He didn't know either and shrugged his shoulders at the questioning look on Casey's face.  
  
"What do you think that woman meant Gandalf?" Gimli asked, noting the same level of strangeness going on that the ring-bearer had, just not being able to do anything about it at present.  
  
"I can feel the evil of this place beginning to grow," Gandalf replied. "Even this woman here does not speak the truth," he added, not having any reasonable explanation for what they had seen.  
  
Casey didn't appear any worse for wear at having seen such a horrific thing as the woman and the blood.  
  
"Um, I have to got to go to Mr Furlong's class now, there is something that I want to show him," Casey said, hoping it was enough of an excuse to escape.  
  
"Yeah, me too," Stan said, just as grateful as Casey to be out of an awkward situation.  
  
The Fellowship weren't too sure where they were headed now but they followed Frodo down the corridor to a doorway. Just before they saw Casey enter, Stan had accidentally bumped into the girl with dark make-up that Gimli had mentioned earlier.  
  
"Get a f.king eye dog," she said to Stan walking away shaking her head.  
  
"Hey I said sorry for walking into you beast," Stan said as he watched her go.  
  
"They have the most charming way of talking to one another in this world," Legolas commented as the group now turned to follow Casey. They had heard him swear as well, but he didn't use it in every sentence as others did.  
  
"Mr Furlong, I found something on the sports oval, I thought you might want to take a look at it," Casey said as he approached the teacher's desk.  
  
Casey now pulled out the small object from his pocket and handed it to the teacher. "I was hoping you could tell me what it is. I have never seen anything like it before."  
  
The teacher took it from the teenager but had a sceptical look on his face. He had seen the same scenario played out too many times before. But he had to admit that Casey Connor would rarely come to him with curiosity on his mind. The teenager was certainly above most of his classmates when it came to his grades. Unlike most of them, he saw the eventual benefits of an education.  
  
Aragorn and the other Fellowship members noted that Casey seemed to be a lot more relaxed around this teacher than any of the others from earlier in the day. The man was probably closer in age, but his face wore a genuine smile rather than one that was forced by years of being through the education system that some of the older teachers offered.  
  
There were a few familiar faces amongst the other teenagers that were gathering around the teacher's desk to try and get a look at the new thing that Casey had found. There was the black kid who had been threatening earlier, Stan and the girl with black make-up that they learned was called Stokeley.  
  
"Well it certainly looks weird Casey, I must admit," Furlong said as he looked through the microscope to get a better understanding of the organism.  
  
"It looks like some sort of seed bearing pod, but the surface tissue is definitely something I have never come across before," Furlong commented, giving his best description as he went.  
  
"So can you identify it?" Casey asked, his interest suddenly sparked even more when Furlong couldn't give an accurate answer.  
  
"No, Casey I think you might have really found something here, maybe even a new species or something," Furlong said, barely able to hide his own excitement.  
  
"Yeah right, this dweeb found something new," Gabe said, thinking it hardly  
  
possible that the geek could find his way out of a wet paper bag.  
  
"Hey it happens every day Gabe, new species are discovered all of the time," Furlong said, coming to Casey's defence.  
  
"It looks and acts like Casey though," Gabe shot back, looking directly at him as he spoke. "You know, not moving very much, and pretty God Damn ugly."  
  
If the dark-skinned teenager could only see the angry looks and threats that he was receiving from Frodo's invisible friends he would have been cringing at the sight of raised bows and axes.  
  
"So what do we do now?" Casey asked, ignoring the comments hurled at him and turning his attention to what he had found.  
  
"Well, we can send it to a University and see if they can tell us what it is. Maybe get in on some of that federal grant money," Furlong said with a little hope in his voice. If it meant doing some worthwhile research rather than teaching a bunch of kids that didn't want to be taught, he was all for it.  
  
Furlong took the organism and placed it on a tray. "It looks kinda cool," Stokeley commented, standing to Casey's right.  
  
"Yeah it might be just from your planet too," Gabe said, giving the girl a slight shove forward. Her arm caught the side of a beaker of water sitting on the table, which in turn split over the tray and the organism.  
  
Everyone gathered around, watched in stunned silence as the organism moved at the now moist conditions.  
  
"Did you see that?" Casey asked in shock, keeping his eyes on it the whole time, waiting for it to move again. Everyone else was watching in stunned silence along with him.  
  
"Let's test it out a little shall we," Furlong said as he picked up the tray and walked towards the middle of the room where a large fish aquarium rested on a big table.  
  
"Do you think it is amphibious Sir?" Casey asked, thinking back at the reaction that the water seemed to have.  
  
"Maybe, it reacted to the water," Furlong said in answer. He now tipped the organism into the tank of water and everybody gathered around the tank to watch it slowly submerge to the bottom.  
  
It wasn't until a few seconds later that everyone jumped back in amazement and a little fright as long red tendrils immerged from the organism, as though it was taking in the water.  
  
"Whoa, what just happened?" Stan asked, continuing to look at it.  
  
Furlong now placed a latex disposable glove on one hand and reached into the tank.  
  
"What are you doing?" asked Stokeley.  
  
"Well the surface tissue has changed, so I want to feel it," Furlong explained.  
  
At first there seemed to be no change in what was going on with the creature. All of a sudden, from one organism, there was then two swimming around almost as soon as the teacher's gloved hand touched it's outer surface.  
  
"Jesus, it replicated itself," Furlong said in utter amazement that such a thing could happen right before their eyes.  
  
There were now two of the organisms floating around in the tank with the red tendrils protruding from themselves. Furlong was about to pull his hand away when one of the creatures beared it's razor sharp teeth and clamped down on the unsuspecting finger nearby.  
  
"F..K" Furlong exclaimed as he hastily withdrew his hand, now bleeding from the incision. "Jesus, the thing bit me," he said, trying to stem the flow of blood.  
  
"How did it get teeth?" Casey asked, confusion and a little fear now showing on his face.  
  
"This doesn't go outside these walls," Furlong now said, realising the implications that such a discovery could mean not only for the organism itself, but also the school and the students themselves.  
  
All in the room nodded their heads, but they could all feel the uneasiness beginning to form in their minds and their stomachs about what had just taken place.  
  
"What do you think it is Gandalf?" Merry asked, now a little afraid too as he saw the nervousness on his cousin's face. Somehow he and the others knew this was the beginning of something much larger and more dangerous to come and there was nothing they could do to help Frodo.  
  
"I don't know Merry, but I don't like it. For Frodo's sake I hope nothing is going to happen to our friend," the wizard said.  
  
"I will let you know what they say Casey," Furlong said, wrapping a band- aid around his finger as the students started heading out the door. There wasn't much school time left in the day.  
  
"Sure, see you later," Casey said, giving a brief smile in appreciation, but then frowning again as the images ran back through his mind over what he had just witnessed.  
  
Casey had just walked back into the corridor's and was rifling through his locker when a well-dressed woman approach him.  
  
"Casey, can I have a word with you please?" Principal Drake asked, pausing and waiting for him to follow her.  
  
"Yeah sure Ms Drake," Casey answered, a slight frown of confusion on his face as to what he might have done to draw her attention to him. Maybe he was going to get a chewing out for Tate's class earlier that morning.  
  
When he got to her office, he could see another student sitting on a chair in her office as well. It was only when the girl turned around that he recognized who it was.  
  
"Delilah," Casey said, surprised to be invited into the same company as the head cheer-leader.  
  
"Hello Casey," she replied politely, but the teenager couldn't help but feel like she was looking him up and down with an air of distaste. She then turned her attention to a pocket sized mirror and fixing her hair, knowing that he was still looking at her.  
  
It wasn't that Casey didn't like Deliliah, hell he might have been considered a loser and a geek, but he wasn't dead. With a set of boobs like that and an ass to match, who couldn't look at her and not know he was an American teenager.  
  
But it was an almost written school law that the likes of him and her dwelled in two separate worlds at the school. He could look all he wanted, but touching was out of bounds so he was just left with his own thoughts.  
  
"You shouldn't be thinking about such things Mr Frodo," Sam now said, a little embarrassed that his master was having thoughts of other pleasures.  
  
Casey had heard a voice again, sounding different from before but it definitely didn't come from Drake or Delilah. He looked nervously around the room, searching for the source before trying to hide his uneasiness as best he could.  
  
Sam immediately saw the startled look from his master and refrained from making any further necessary comment. However it was happening he couldn't be sure. Maybe Gandalf had been wrong about the amount of intervention the Fellowship might have in helping his master. Whatever the reason, it was clear that Frodo could at least hear them from time to time.  
  
"Could we just get this over with please," he said out loud to the two women.  
  
"Okay Casey, I won't keep you two long. As you know Delilah hear is the Chief Editor of the school's newspaper. She came to me asking for some help with gaining someone's help who might be good with cameras. Your name came to mind," Drake explained.  
  
Casey now looked down at the camera still slung around his neck and knew that he seemed to be getting used again. Never really wanted for who he truly was, just to use whatever he was good at and then toss him away again until the next time.  
  
"Sure what do you want me to do," Casey replied, keeping his thoughts to himself.  
  
"Just take a few pictures when I need you to," Delilah said, hating the idea that she had to ask for help at all in the first place. She knew Casey was good with cameras. Hell you even took away the geeky clothes and the startled look, he wasn't too bad looking once you looked hard enough. His big blue eyes seemed to stand out the most and he had a handsome face in a geeky sort of way.  
  
"When do you want to take the pictures?" Casey asked, forcing away the words When do you want to do it that were echoing in his head.  
  
"How about tomorrow right after school for just a few minutes? The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can both get on with our lives," Delilah suggested.  
  
"That suits me fine, whenever you want," Casey answered. "Sorry to interrupt, but it's home time, see you tomorrow," he announced and prepared to leave. He had already spent enough time at this place today.  
  
Casey went back to his locker and paused long enough to grab a small backpack. He put his camera inside and zipped it up and slung it over his shoulder. He then pulled out a pair of dark sunglasses and a pair of roller-blades from his locker.  
  
Normally he caught the bus in the mornings and sometimes got a lift home with his parents, but today, a different mode of transport was called for.  
  
The Fellowship watched on curiously as they saw Casey remove his regular sneakers and replace them with larger boots with small wheels attached to the bottom of them.  
  
"What does he do with those on his feet?" Sam asked, perplexed by the mere notion of anybody having to wear anything on their feet. He was glad he wasn't human, he liked walking around with his over-sized hobbit feet just the way they were.  
  
Casey now placed a small walkman in his pocket with a compact disc inside it. He pulled out the small pair of earphones and held onto them loosely in his hand as he walked out of the school building. He now put the sunglasses on his face and slowly skated his way towards the school's front gates.  
  
"Hey Casey, I'd stop and give you a ride man, but I am going the other way," Zeke said as he pulled his car along side the teenager.  
  
Aragorn and the others couldn't believe the amount of noise that this strange looking vehicle was producing. There was noise coming from the large wheels as well as from inside where the other young man was sitting.  
  
"That's okay Zeke, I have been in your car when you have been driving before remember," he said, indicating that he had been scared witless last time with the over use of speed.  
  
"At least in this they won't have to scrap you off of the sidewalk," Zeke shot back, noting the roller-blades on his feet.  
  
"Later man," Casey said and now placed the earphones in his ears and pushed the play button. Now oblivious to any voices that he might have heard earlier, and with the wind blowing in his face, he now darted out onto the road and caught the rear of a jeep that was just pulling out of the parking lot.  
  
"Surely he doesn't mean to use those strange looking things on his feet as a mode of transportation Gandalf," Aragorn said, a little worried at the acceleration that Casey had already gotten thanks to the skates and the vehicle that he was holding onto.  
  
For the next ten minutes though, the members of the Fellowship were drawn along with the teenager as he made what they considered nothing short of a hellish ride towards home.  
  
No sooner had he travelled a short distance holding onto one vehicle, then he would simply and quickly let go and grab hold of the tailgate of another vehicle, without giving any thought to his safety or that was he was doing was entirely dangerous.  
  
On one occasion, the driver of one of the vehicles had turned around when Casey made contact with the back of his vehicle. Casey had given the man a quick wave with his hand and a big smile and continued to hang on until the next time he needed to change direction.  
  
Sam had blanched white on one occasion when it seemed that Casey was going too fast to be able to stop and it looked as though his face was going to connect with a side-mirror.  
  
Casey had not even blinked though and at the last minute, turned his face away just in time to avoid the impending collision. Once he let go of this vehicle, his journey seemed to take him down some more quieter streets without too much traffic and the teenager now bladed along the side-walk on his own steam.  
  
About halfway down this street, Casey came to a complete stop and undid the buckles of his skates, removed them and walked across the grass towards a house.  
  
"Not much but it's home," Casey said to himself and dumped the skates outside the backdoor before opening the screen and going inside.  
  
"This should be rather interesting," Aragorn said as they silently followed the ring-bearer inside. They were actually going to get a chance to see how their friend Frodo was living in this world.  
  
"Mom, I am home," Casey shouted from inside the back door.  
  
"Mr Frodo has parents!" Sam said surprised. He wondered whether they would be anything like Master Bilbo, but then answered his own question and said probably not.  
  
The Fellowship now saw a blond woman coming out of a different room in the house. She looked nice enough. All of them had known that apart from Bilbo and Gandalf for the past twelve years, Frodo had very little memory of ever having real parents.  
  
"So I hear from your shouting," the woman said with a smile on her face. She now approached Casey and gave him a quick embrace and kiss on the cheek to greet him.  
  
"But I have a bone to pick with you young man," she warned, now brandishing a wooden spoon she had been holding in her hand.  
  
"Hey I am innocent until proven guilty," Casey said in his own self- defence.  
  
"I have heard nothing coming from your room all day but whinging and scratching, do something about it or you and your little furry friend will be sleeping outside tonight," his mother said in mock sternness.  
  
"He's just missing me mom," Casey reasoned. "Just give Sam some time, I am sure he will not be any trouble."  
  
"Sam?" Merry said at the name. None of them knew what this furry little friend was, but there was no mistake in the name that Casey had called.  
  
"I really wish you would pick another name son, surely you could have picked out a better name than Sam," came the voice of a man now walking into the kitchen. This must be Casey's father the group assumed.  
  
"I like the name Sam, it's simple and it suits him," Casey declared and now started heading towards his bedroom to find his little friend.  
  
"More than just a coincidence I would wager Samwise," Gandalf commented as he saw the awed expression on the stout hobbit's face.  
  
Sam was just overjoyed that something with his name was still an important part of Frodo's life. He was very flattered that his master would think the name the most suitable out of all the possible choices. Maybe there really was something more than fate at work here.  
  
"You will have to go pizza for dinner tonight Casey, your mother and I have got classes tonight," his father said, handing him a twenty dollar note.  
  
"Classes?" Casey asked, with a confused look on his face until he remembered. "Oh yeah, okay whatever," he said, as if trying to avoid the subject altogether. He didn't even want to admit that his parents were going to marriage guidance classes, but if it helped them stick together, then he wouldn't say anything against it.  
  
Casey now walked into his bedroom and slung the bag on his shoulder onto a chair near his computer table. The Fellowship were amazed at all of the strange looking electronic equipment and other things that adorned his room. They all walked about exploring the room and its contents with their eyes, hoping to learn more about it's young inhabitant.  
  
"It is certainly much different to the room he has back at Bag End with Master Bilbo," Sam commented. Perhaps he was too used to seeing Frodo's possessions treated with the utmost care and responsibility. Here now, he could be mistaken for thinking that there was very little if no sense of order at all to where everything fitted.  
  
"SAM," Casey called, going to a cupboard and looking inside. There was a small basket inside that look like where this little friend slept during the day. The teenager looked around when he saw it empty.  
  
Casey now laid down on his stomach and explored underneath his bed with a hand. "Sam, are you under here?" he said.  
  
"Yeow," he exclaimed out of fright more than pain when he felt a small pair of teeth nip the back of his hand. "Why you little," he said with a grin and as he withdrew his hand from the bed, held a small, honey-coloured dog close to his chest.  
  
"You weren't going to bite me know were you?" Casey said to the little dog. "I thought you were supposed to be my friend," he said, not caring in the least how silly it looked for him to be talking to a dog.  
  
"Gee, the dogs in this world are a lot smaller than the ones back in Farmer Maggot's fields," Pippin said, remembering all too well about being chased on a number of occasions by such large and vicious beasts.  
  
Watching Casey and his dog now though, the Fellowship couldn't help but smile as they watched the two interact so well together.  
  
Because the dog was so small in size, Casey now proceeded to place it inside his shirt, allowing the dog's small head and pleading eyes to protrude through.  
  
"Come on boy, time to order some food," Casey announced and grabbed his cordless phone by the bed.  
  
Aragorn watched Casey push a few buttons on the thin black object in his hand and proceed to place it next to his ear as if listening to something.  
  
"In this world, people are able to communicate over very long distances with such devices," he said.  
  
"Yeah, this is the Connor residence, 107 Caulfield Drive. I want to get a large pizza with everything on top, hold the mushrooms," Casey ordered. 'Yeah you heard me, don't put any mushrooms on there. I am allergic to them. Just the smell of them makes me want to puke my guts up for a week. Okay, see you in 30 minutes."  
  
"Frodo, allergic to mushrooms," Pippin squeaked, not being able to think of a worse punishment for a hobbit then not being able to eat mushrooms.  
  
"Casey we are leaving now," his mother said from the other side of his bedroom door.  
  
"Okay see you," Casey said and plopped himself down on his bed and fiddled with the remote control for his VCR and TV.  
  
"Well Sam, looks like it's just me and you again tonight," he said with a sigh. He just wished sometimes he and his parents could spend more time together like a family.  
  
In response to the comment, the little dog licked Casey's face, making the Fellowship laugh at the resulting face he gave. "Yeah I now you care, but do they. Sometimes I think not my friend."  
  
Twenty minutes later, the front door bell rang and Casey answered, paying for his pizza and grabbing two cans of soft-drink from the fridge downstairs before heading back to his room again.  
  
Pippin watched his friend and the strange looking food. It looked okay to eat. He would have to get Frodo to show him how to make it once they were back together again. But then he remembered that Frodo probably wouldn't remember even having even if they all did make it back.  
  
Casey now walked over to his video library and picked out a couple of tapes to watch. He didn't seem to pick up on the fact that he picked out titles that were related to the events he had experienced earlier that day.  
  
The boy and the dog ate the pizza, Casey seemingly happy enough to share his meagre meal with him. He opened one of the cans and after clearing away the pizza box, reclined back against his pillows, waiting for the movie to start.  
  
Legolas and the others watched the TV screen, awed that such an invention even existed. Gandalf had assured them that there were not any little people trapped in the screen itself, but merely like Casey's camera where they were pictures that had just been made bigger and were able to move.  
  
The images before them were mostly of giant fireballs from explosions and people dying from gunshots and knife wounds. Looking back at Casey's face though, he didn't show any fear or concern, he seemed to be enjoying the action thoroughly.  
  
Towards the end of the second movie, Aragorn looked over towards the bed and smiled at the heart-warming sight. The others too looked and couldn't help feel a lump in their throats.  
  
At some point, Casey had fallen asleep whilst watching the movie. The little dog was also asleep, curled up in the crook of his arm. The teenager was still fully dressed and without shoes but other than that looked completely relaxed and poised in peaceful slumber.  
  
The video had finished and now the TV was still switched on, showing all the late night programs. Obviously the noise wasn't disturbing Casey, he didn't even stir at the loud voices or the sharp sounds of gun fire.  
  
The Fellowship were determined to watch over their young friend as he slept. They decided to learn as much as possible about this world by using the TV in front of them. Maybe they could find a way to help when the need arose.  
  
Aragorn looked back over at Casey close to dawn, noting that the teenager hadn't even turned over in his sleep during the night. "I have not seen him sleep through a whole night undisturbed for a very long time. Even after Mount Doom, his sleep was anything but restful or free of nightmares."  
  
The others nodded their heads in acknowledge, knowing all too well that nightmares and bad dreams had plagued their young friend almost from the time he had left the Shire and long after the One Ring had been destroyed.  
  
"I think that little dog has a most calming effect on him," Gandalf pointed out. "It a truly remarkable friendship between them."  
  
About 7.30am the next morning, Casey's mother walked into the room, and smiled at the sight of her son sprawled on his bed still sound asleep. He hadn't even heard her come into the room.  
  
Something else did though and Aragorn couldn't help but suppress a laugh when the little dog looked up and gave a small growl towards the woman.  
  
"Okay okay, I am not going to wake him up, but you had better make sure he gets to school on time," she said and gently kissed her son on the forehead before leaving the room again.  
  
She knew that the dog was the best thing that had happened to him for a long time. With very few friends, it had just been what he was looking for. She hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be too long before Casey found some human friends to associate with though.  
  
"It would seem that Sam is still guarding his master while he sleeps," Legolas commented, looking towards Samwise as he spoke.  
  
About half and hour later, Casey began to stir on his own, slowly at first. The little dog took this as his cue to hurry the process along a little. Frodo's friends watched in amusement as the dog now moved down towards the end of the bed where his toes were.  
  
Casey startled to giggle with his eyes closed as the little dog now licked his master's toes. The dog persisted until the boy sat up and tried to grab at the animal.  
  
"You little...' Casey said and chased the little dog until he had him cornered. The dog now leaped at the teenager who caught him and then licked his face in an apologetic gesture.  
  
"Okay, I am up," Casey said and soon disappeared into the bathroom with some fresh clothes and a towel over his shoulder.  
  
While Casey took his shower, the Fellowship members discussed the various things they had learned overnight about this new world. They discovered that people in this world used guns of varying shapes and sizes to kill others. Sometimes the guns were used by good people to shoot the baddies, but basically guns were seen as a weapon much like their bows and swords. They had learned that guns were not to be used by those considered young like Casey.  
  
They also learned that apart from guns, the next biggest problem most young people faced was something called "drugs". From watching various snippets of the TV the group found out that there were many different sorts and all had both positive and negative effects.  
  
Some of them even seemed to take the place of herbal remedies when treating illness and disease. But there apparently were others that were taken recreationally that could alter one's personality. They saw various photographs on the screen of people using needles to inject the substances into their own blood streams.  
  
Then there were others that were sniffing at a white powdery substance with hollow tubes. All of it seemed very strange, but the people giving the information told of the side-effects of doing such harmful acts. They included headaches and dizziness whilst also having false sense of feeling exhilarated. The TV told them that if these substances were over used or badly made, then they could result in permanent injury or even death in a lot of cases.  
  
"So to everyone out there that still haven't got the message, stay away from drugs and if you know of anybody close to you or in your family that is having problems, then please make sure you help them and support them enough to make them see what they are doing is wrong," a black woman said just before the closing credit began rolling.  
  
Casey now walked back into his room, dressed in the clean clothes but his hair still wet from the shower. He dumped the still wet towel over the unsuspecting little dog, engulfing him in the fabric and laughing out loud when the towel began moving around on the floor.  
  
The teenager now proceeded to start pulling his socks and shoes on, glancing at the time on the clock and grimacing slightly already knowing there was next to no chance of making it in time for the bus.  
  
As if to extract his own revenge, the dog now decided it was a good time to play tug-o-war with Casey's sock. The two wrestled for a few minutes before both gave up.  
  
"Oh sh.t, going to be late," Casey swore. "Tate's going to have my butt in a sling," he continued to grumble, trying to get himself ready even faster.  
  
Casey put the walkman back into his pocket and grabbed his shades and bag on the way out his bedroom door.  
  
As he walked passed the kitchen, he saw that his mother had left some breakfast out on the kitchen counter for him. He looked at the toast for a minute and then put the plate on the floor, much to the little dog's delight who greedily accepted.  
  
"Sorry boy, have to skip breakfast this morning," Casey said, pausing briefly to put back on his roller-blades. He placed the sunglasses back on his face and was about to begin heading in the direction he had come from yesterday.  
  
The little dog Sam gave a little bark as if to disapprove of being left home alone yet again. "Sorry, you can't come with me. Have to face the demons at school on my own," Casey said and started off down the sidewalk.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
Author's Notes - okay - so there are a lot of things happening here that never happened in the movie. Oh well - just wrote it that way. The roller- blades is taken from Back to the Future where MJFox used a skateboard behind the vehicles.  
  
The whole parents splitting up idea is made up as well as the dog and the pizza and the mushrooms. Not much happened in this chapter and everything that was from the movie might have been written in a different order in my story.  
  
Going to take two days to take over the school rather than just 1.5. The next chapter will have the scene with Delilah and Casey in the closet and then his confrontation from his parents about the drugs.  
  
The drugs idea isn't meant to insult anybody - I don't know enough about any of it and don't want to. If I said anything in error - it is purely fiction and out of my own head. I wanted the Fellowship to become aware of why guns and drugs were dangerous so that they freak out later on back at Zeke's place when they see the gun and then Casey taking the drug.  
  
There are going to some pieces that happen shortly that are totally made up, for example a run in between Casey and the Coach (of course, that's why I gave the hint) and one between Casey and Tate once they are the aliens. I am going to do the scene with Furlong's hand around Casey's neck, but then add a bit to it. (You can all imagine what the Fellowship would be trying to do when they see that !!! LOL).  
  
Hope you like - please let me know what you think and thanks to those who have already been supportive and encouraging.  
  
More soon - if you want to..  
  
JULES 


	3. Chapter 3

FRODO AND THE FACULTY 

**Author's Notes :   **This is supposed to be just for fun.   I have only just revisited Elijah Wood's movie "The Faculty" and while my mind was taken over, had the idea to write something humorous involving the Fellowship and the movie characters.

As I watched I was thinking, he gets into these roles where he is supposed to save

everyone else and decided to take the fun out both.

This is a one off thing – just for entertainment and I hope that people who read this and think that the author has lost her marbles will still continue to read my other stories for LOTR which try and stick closer to the original story line.

The Fellowship can see and hear everything that is going on at the school, including making some interesting comments about the new image for Frodo and his use of colourful language.  They cannot interact with him and he doesn't know they exist. Gandalf is only along as purely an advisor for the rest of the Fellowship on some of the more modern things about the human world that they encounter.

Where I can I have chosen a more appropriate method of using such colourful

language – i.e.   "F…k"   and "Sh…" where they are needed.  I wanted to be mindful that a lot of people might be offended – others not and will make others up as I go along as needed.

I have exaggerated the personalities of all slightly but please don't be offended – just mean as a poke in fun at them all.    You don't need to understand why it happens that Frodo is now a high-school kid, just believe it and read and ignore anything that doesn't usually fit our beloved hobbit.

The story begins after ROTK where Frodo is supposed to be famous for his deeds.

Gandalf comes rushing in to tell them about Frodo's sudden disappearance and that he now dwells in a new world of humans that needs him to save the day _again._

If you haven't read the first or second chapters or even if you have – it has had some changes done to it so you might want to go back and revisit them before continuing on with this chapter.

NEXT PART

After another hellish ride so far as the Fellowship members were concerned and

the school building came into view.  

Casey looked about and noted that the first bell must have already sounded and

he was already late for his first class with Mr Tate.

"Great, not even 9.00am yet and already it's beginning to be a bad day," Casey

muttered to himself as he sat on the front stairs and changed them over to his

regular sneakers.

He was just about to get up when a thin, pretty looking girl with long blond

hair stood in front of him, trying to attract his attention.    Legolas and Gimli

both thought the colour of her hair was very becoming.

"Excuse me could you please tell me where the office is, I am new here today

from Atlanta," she said in a soft voice, smiling at Casey.

Casey couldn't help but smile back and admire the girl's pretty features.  Obviously her story must be true because here she was still standing here talking

to her.   Any other girl in the school would have normally given him a wide

berth.

"Hi," Casey finally said, forgetting all about the question she had just asked of

him. 

"I am Marybeth Louise Hutchinson," the girl said introducing herself.

"I'm Casey," he said, giving a sheepish grin, feeling a little uncomfortable around

somebody who didn't take him for some sort of geek reject from first impressions.

His blue eyes had a happy look about them.

"I guess I will see you around then, if you could tell me where the office is," she

said, repeating her question subtly.   

"Oh yeah right, it's just down the hall and to your right there," Casey said turning

around and pointing in the general direction.  

"Thanks.   You really have pretty eyes you know," she said and walked into the

building to her intended destination.

"She likes my eyes," Casey whispered to himself, unable to hide the grin plastered on his face.   He was about to say that things were looking up for the

day when he glanced at his watch and saw that he was another ten minutes late

for class.

"F..k," he said under his breath and quickly went inside to store his skates and

rush to the classroom.

"I think our ring-bearer is slightly smitten with that young lady," Aragorn commented to the others as they followed Frodo.   

Not that it was a bad thing, but even after all that had happened in Middle Earth, Frodo had always showed shyness and awkwardness whenever the subject of finding a partner was ever mentioned.   He had not been nervous around Arwen

the Ranger recalled, but he knew that she belonged to another.

Sam and the others would be more than happy to see their friend and companion

at last enjoying some of the simpler things in life such as a girlfriend.

Casey had been about halfway along the corridor when he was abruptly pulled up

by the sound of a loud voice behind him.

"Mr Connor I presume," Tate snarled, barely able to conceal his pleasure at being

about to dish out a little self-imposed punishment towards the teenager from his

little prank yesterday.

Casey closed his eyes as he halted and knew what was coming before he even

turned around.   "Yes Mr Tate," he said, putting on his best innocent look.

"Don't give me the poor little puppy dog look Connor, I don't fall for that like

other teachers in this God forsaken place.    I believe I owe one of these for

your tardiness," he said, holding out a small slip of paper to the teenager.

"Detention!" the teacher said firmly.

The Fellowship saw the distaste on Casey's face and knew that whatever was

written on it was not favourable to their friend.   

"An hour!" Casey said hotly, thinking the whole thing was unfair not to mention

the length of his sentence.

"Would you like to make it two or three?" the teacher warned.

"I can't do it today because I have to do something for Ms Drake after school

for the paper," Casey offered, hoping it was some sort of excuse.

The teacher paused for a minute, trying to work out if the kid was lying or not.

Probably not he told himself but he didn't like it anyway.   

"Okay then Mr Connor, we can change the day to tomorrow afternoon," the 

teacher said, knowing the rebellion he was about to get in return.

"But tomorrow's Friday," Casey said, hoping there was no way the teacher

would make him stay behind before a weekend.

"Tomorrow Mr Casey, and let me warn you of the serious consequences should

you not show up on time directly after class," the teacher said, now only a few

inches from the teenager's face.

"Yes Sir," Casey grumbled as the teacher turned away, knowing there was 

probably little if nothing he could do about it anyway.

"What is this detention he speaks of Gandalf?" Legolas asked, thinking what

the word meant on his world.

"In this world my elf friend, detention is like here, a form of punishment, but

it is a little less confining.   All Casey will have to do is spend it in a classroom

for an hour tomorrow.  Don't worry, there is no harsh treatment involved, save

to say that the timing is a little harsher in the ring-bearer's eyes.   Friday is

the last school day of the week here, and normally everyone tries to get out of

here as quickly as possible tomorrow," Gandalf explained.

"Don't worry Legolas, we will be right here with Frodo and this teacher fellow,

we won't let anything happen to him," Merry said firmly.   He knew he had

the support of the others on this matter.

The rest of the day passed relatively quicker than the one before, and it wasn't

too long before afternoon had approached.  Nothing out of the ordinary had

occurred at this stage and Casey had attended and stayed in all of his lessons.

He had stilled eaten lunch on his own back on the grand stand and then went

back to class afterwards.   Nothing out of the ordinary had emerged so far

that day.    

It soon was time for school to finish, but Casey knew he had to take the photos

for Delilah.    She had arranged to meet him outside the office and this was now

where he waited with his camera slung around his neck once again.

"Oh good, you're here, that's great.   Let's get this over and done with because

I don't want to spend any more time here than I have to," she announced, flinging

her hair back over her shoulder and watching out of the corner of her eye to see

if Casey was looking.

"Why do you rag on me so much, what did I do to you?" Casey asked totally ignoring her ploys, but getting a little ticked off at the callous attitude that he was

dished out for no good reason.

"Nothing against you personally Casey, but your that geeky odd looking kid that

is in every school.  It's your destiny or something," she said, knowing that he

didn't deserve her harsh words or her pity.   He had never been anything but civil

and nice to her in the past.

"Come on let's go," she said, leading the way down the corridor.  At first Casey

didn't quite know where they were headed, but now they were standing outside

a door that was labelled _TEACHER'S LOUNGE._

"We can't go in there," Casey said with a frown and a touch of nervousness

as he watched Delilah put her hand on the door knob and open it a crack to check

that nobody was inside.

"Oh come on, live a little," Delilah said as she rolled her eyes in an over exaggerated look.  "It's only a room Casey, not a bar or something."

Casey felt himself being dragged into the lounge, like it or not.  Although he would have admitted to being a little nervous at first, now he was in there, the

curiosity got the better of him.  What did the teachers do in here during the 

breaks anyway? he secretly asked himself.

"I don't think they are allowed to be in here," Pippin said, noting the slightly

guilty look in his cousin's face.

"What's with all of the water?" Delilah asked as she stood in front of a cupboard

that held various sizes and shaped water bottles.  There were larger bottles for

the dispenser in the room and then smaller individual bottles towards the top.

"I don't know but I have noticed a lot of the teachers walking around with those

smaller bottles in their hands yesterday.   Tate even had one in class with him,"

Casey answered.

"Maybe it's some sort of weird teacher health kick or something," Delilah said,

knowing that there must have been another explanation.  

"So what are we looking for?" Casey asked, the guilt coming back again.  "I have

already got detention for tomorrow, I don't feel like spending the rest of my

school years in it if we are caught."

"You got detention!" Delilah said with a little doubt in her mind.   This was the

kid who usually did all of his homework before everyone else and handed things

in on time as opposed to everyone else.   "Next you'll be telling me that aliens

are taking over the school," she remarked with sarcasm in her voice.

"Hey, you don't know who I really am," Casey said in self-defence.  "I don't

always play the study freak you know."

"You tell her Mr Frodo," Sam said out loud, although he knew his master couldn't

hear his words of support.

Delilah walked over to where some of the teachers kept their personal belongings and without consent started going through some of the bags, looking for anything

she could make into a story for her paper.

"Hey you can't go through things like that," Casey said, not approving of the practice at all.   "There has to be something else in here other than going through

their personal stuff."

"Oh please Casey, don't give me the good Samaritan speech.    These teachers 

all have their own secrets and weaknesses.   At the moment we just don't know

what they are.    The only way to find out what they are hiding is to have a look

around," Delilah stated.

"God you can be such a………..," Casey said, turning away slightly, afraid of 

what he might say out loud for a second.

Aragorn noted the dislike look on the boy's face.   He had seen it a few times

himself when there were those who thought themselves better than everybody

else or only having the purpose of hurting others through actions and words.

The surroundings and the time might have been the same, but the disfavour

Frodo felt towards such grandeur and faith in one's own self-preservation

over others was still just as evident.

"What!" Delilah demanded seeing him turn away before finishing the sentence.

She knew he didn't approve, but she wasn't about to let him beat her over

the head with his version of what was right and wrong.

The Fellowship knew enough about Frodo's personality to think that Casey

would forget the words he wanted to say and just walk away from the situation.

They were mistaken though and now wondered what was about to unfold as

he turned back towards the girl.

"You would find people thinking more of you if you just looked at yourself

in the mirror once in a while and didn't act like a grade A b…ch," Casey

said firmly.

Delilah was clearly shocked to hear such words come out from the boy, as

too were Sam and the other hobbits.   Frodo was the most gentlehobbit

they knew and he had never said harsh words to a girl before.

"Um what brought this on," Delilah said, not being able to say much in

return.

"Nothing, I am just sick of people here at this school that act like they are

more important than anybody else," Casey said, explaining his reasons behind

such an outburst.   He didn't feel like she deserved a fuller explanation but

he gave it anyway.

Before anymore words transpired between them, Casey looked towards the

closed door and saw shadows approaching as well as the sound of shoes on the

other side.

"Sh.t" Delilah said out loud as she saw the door handle begin to rotate.

"Quick," Casey said to Delilah as the two rushed to find a hiding place before

they were found out.   

The two teenagers concealed themselves in a storage cupboard.   There was a slat window on the front so they were still able to breath in the cramp conditions and see what was going on inside the lounge.

The Fellowship could see Casey's face wondering what they were going to do

to get out without being found out.    His friends were unable to think of a way

to help him and had to be content with just watching on with worry on their faces

as to what might happen to him.

"It's Coach Willis and Mrs Olsen from drama," Delilah said to Casey.    He nodded his head at recognizing which teachers had come into the room.

"Are all of the teachers accounted for?" Coach Willis asked the larger woman

before him.

"Mostly, there is one or two others, but for the most part they are all now with

us," Olsen said in reply.

Casey couldn't help but look at the two teachers and see a change in the way

they stood and spoke.   They no longer looked like the Coach and the drama

teacher he had come to know at school.

Their manner was as though they didn't have thoughts of their own.   Both of

them were now standing near the water dispenser, continually filling their paper

cups and drinking.

"Why are they drinking so much water?" Delilah whispered to Casey.

"I don't know, but I don't like it," Casey answered back quietly, truly afraid now

that they were going to be discovered.

"Mrs Brumel didn't take, her body was too old," Coach Willis now said to the

woman teacher.

Delilah hadn't been taking too much interest in the details of the conversation.

As she looked back towards Casey, she noted that he had a strange look on

his face.

"What is it?" she whispered.  But Casey help up his hand, telling her to keep 

quiet so he could listen.

Just then, the school nurse Miss Harper opened the door to the teacher's lounge

and walked in.

"Hello," she said, briefly glancing at the two colleagues at the water dispenser.

Willis and Olsen looked at each other and then started to walk towards the

unsuspecting young woman.    Willis went all the way to the door and made

sure it was securely closed so that there would be no interruptions.

"Nurse Harper, there is something Coach Willis and I need to discuss with you,"

Olsen said, moving closer and closer to the woman.   Harper found herself

seated on a couch in the room, Willis and Olsen on either side.

"Sure, want do you want to talk to me about," Harper asked, but she couldn't

help but feel a little intimidated.

"Get out of here," Casey said as loud as he dared.   The hairs on the back of his

neck were now on end with fear and his eyes were wide with the realisation that

something bad was about to happen.  He didn't know what, but there was something inside him trying to warn him.

"What are you on about?" Delilah asked, knowing that he had spoken of the nurse

but not understanding why he was so worried about her.

"This will all be over in a minute," Olsen said as she roughly grabbed the nurse's

face with both hands and turned it at an awkward angle.

Harper was about to scream out for help with Coach Willis now moved to the end

of the couch she was laying on.   He opened his mouth and Casey and Delilah

watched helplessly as a small slimy creature emerged.   It fell on the young woman's face and started burrowing its way through her ear canal.

There was a lot of blood and the nurse looked like she was dead.  Her eyes were

open but unseeing as if in death.   Casey clamped his hand over his own mouth

to muffle the scream caught in his throat and took a step away from the shutters.

Delilah had done the same and now closed the shutters as if to block out the 

horrific scene they both had just witnessed.   Casey looked at the girl and she

at him, both pale and with wide eyes from their fear, but seeking answers from

each other that neither had.    

Casey didn't think he could have screamed even if he wanted to.  The air in

his lungs was paralysed from his fear.   Just when they though it couldn't get

any worse, Delilah had taken a step back further towards the back of the 

storage cupboard.

She felt something fall towards her and scarcely could believe the sight of the

partially decomposing corpse of Mrs Brumel that rested on her shoulder for

a few seconds before hitting the ground as she jumped away in fright towards

Casey.

The woman was obviously dead.   Both of them could see that.   Casey and

Delilah looked at each other with fearful gazes.   

The Fellowship were desperate somehow to help their friend.   They knew 

that Frodo had unfortunately been seen death a number of times during his

journey to Mordor.    But in this world as Casey, it was clear from the expression on his face and the fear radiating from him that this was his first real experience

in this time.

Footsteps alerted Casey and Delilah to the fact that somebody was now approaching the cupboard.   They had been heard.  The footsteps were heavy,

indicating it was probably the coach coming.

"What the f..k do we do Casey?" Delilah demanded, not realising that he didn't

really have any plan of escape either.

Casey noted the presence of a broom on the other side of the small space.  He

now grabbed it and held it out in front of him as if it were a long javelin pole.

"When I say, get ready to run," he said, stepping protectively in front of the

girl with the broom in hand.   Delilah nodded in agreement, knowing it was their

only chance to get out of there and avoid the fate of Nurse Harper.

"Now Frodo," Aragorn said as he watched the teacher turn the handle and

open the closet door.

Casey jammed the end of the broom into the Coach's stomach as hard as he 

could before dropping it and trying to make a break for it, "RUN," he shouted

back to Delilah who was already doing just that.

Delilah was about to be confronted by the drama teacher and so shoved the

heavier woman Mrs Olsen back against the couch.   She got a clear view of

the now very obviously dead school nurse, the fresh blood still running down

her face.

Casey and Delilah managed to run out into the hallway and didn't bother

to look back to see if they were being followed.   They came to a corner

though and had to pull up abruptly as they now came face to face with

Ms Drake, the principal.

"What is going on here, why are you people running?" she asked in an 

authoritive voice.   

"You gotta call the police, they just killed Nurse Harper," Delilah yelled

whilst Casey was also trying to say what had just happened.

"Whoa, wait a minute," the principal said, putting up her hand and trying

to get the teenagers to talk one at a time.   At that moment, Mr Tate also

happen to come along the trio and stood beside the principal.

"What is going on here Ms Drake, who killed who? Tate asked, his eyes

looking directly at Casey as he asked the question.

"I don't know, I just got here myself, in the middle of this whole conversation,"

the principal said, as though she thought the whole thing terribly funny.

"Coach Willis and Mrs Olsen just killed Nurse Harper, you gotta call the

police, there is blood everywhere," Delilah said in an exasperated voice.

"Why would they do that?" Drake asked simply, her face not showing much

emotions at all to the story they were being told.

"Just go there and you will see.  They killed her," Casey said, trying to back

up Delilah's story.

Casey turned around and now saw the figures of Coach Willis, Mrs Olsen

and a very alive looking Nurse Harper standing a short distance away from

them.   There was no sign of blood on the young woman, but all of the

teachers now had faceless expressions.

It was about now that Gandalf and the other members of the Fellowship

saw that Casey and the girl were in real danger.   "None of them are human

any more," the wizard said, sensing that the adults had somehow been

altered.

Delilah looked a little closer at the faces on the teachers as did Casey.  They

both swallowed hard and looked at each other as if to confirm what each

other thought was true.

"Oh F..k," Delilah said out loud.

"Run Delilah Run," Casey shouted as the two now took off running at full

speed down an adjacent hallway.

Delilah was faster on her feet and was almost out the door to safety when

Casey slipped on the floor and went skidding into a wall.

"Delilah wait!" Casey cried out as he fell.   

The members of the Fellowship cried out in alarm as they watched the

ring-bearer fall.   But were quickly relieved to see him get up just as fast

again and follow the girl out the door to relative safety.

Casey seemed to be rubbing and favouring his left shoulder as he exited

the building, showing a slightly grimace at some minimal pain he had.

About twenty minutes after they exited the building,  Casey and Delilah now

walked back into the school building towards the office, two police officers

in tow.

"Who are these people Gandalf," Aragorn asked, pointing to the uniformed

officers.

"In this world Aragorn, they are the law and are supposed to protect others

from harm and crime," the wizard explained.

A few minutes later, the Fellowship saw Casey's parent's arrive in addition

a woman they over heard referred to Delilah's mother.

Casey was standing with his parents, trying to tell them about the death

of Nurse Harper and the body they had found in the closet of Mrs Brumel.

He left out the part about the slimy creature, trying to make it sound a little

rational.    At one point he had even led the police over to the cupboard he

and Delilah had sheltered in.

When he opened the cupboard though, no body could be found and there was

no trace that anybody had ever been in there.

Ms Drake had come over to Casey's parents and spoken for a brief period.

Casey made sure that he kept as much distance between himself and her as

possible, but he was forced to stand under the estranged looks he got from

both parents.

Casey had spoken briefly again to the police officer about the body he claimed

had definitely been there.   The man didn't really seem to believe his story, but

was pleasant all the same.

Ms Drake led the police officer into her office, whilst his partner continued to

inspect the alleged crime scene.   Casey heard his mother and father talking

to him and each other in the back ground, but wasn't really focusing on what

was being said.

He watched the police officer as he and Drake came out of their brief meeting,

and instantly knew that she had somehow gotten to him.    He thought about

telling Delilah then about the cops not being an option, but with his parents

and Delilah's mother both looking at them and shaking their heads in disappointment and bafflement, now was not such a good time to mention it.

At one point Drake had tried to have a private meeting with Casey's mother,

but the teenager had seen what was about to happen and tried his best to

convince his mother that he was under too much stress from it all and just

wanted to go home.

The ploy seemed to work, he had no trouble trying to give a convincing look

of fear on his face or a look which said he wasn't coping very well with what

he claimed had happened.

Drake had assured his parents that Nurse Harper was just fine and had been

taken home already.   She had simply laughed off the accusation of the 

dead teacher as the boy having an over active imagination.

Casey was being led away to their car by his parents and Delilah by her 

mother.  Both looked at each other briefly, their eyes telling each other

that they needed to sort this whole thing out.

Casey sat in the middle seat in the back of the car on the way home.  The

conversation with his parents had begun with them demanding to know

what was wrong with him and why he was acting like this.

Partly thought the conversation though, the shouting had been deflected 

off him and too each other as his parents blamed each other for their

lack of supervision over their son and allowing him to have such ridiculous

notions about the teachers at his school.

Casey placed his hands over his ears, trying to block out the shouting and

yelling, while he tried to decide if what he had seen that day had been

real or fantasy.

The car pulled up at a red traffic light,  but his parents were still accusing

one another of every subject under the sun, the real reason they were yelling

at each other, now truly forgotten.

"You know, I just can't take this from either of you two right now," Casey

said angrily.   "I walk the rest of the way home," he stated and quickly got

out of the car and headed down the footpath.

His parents were about to stop him, but the light had already changed and they

were forced to continue driving.   It wasn't much of a walk left, they decided

silently that they would confront him when he got home.

"Why doesn't anyone believe me," Casey asked himself as he walked alone

towards his house.   His camera, school bag and skates were all still in his

locker at school.   He hadn't even bothered to retrieve them when his parents

come to claim him from the office.

The Fellowship looked just as trouble as their friend as they travelled silently

along with him.  They didn't have any answers to give him either.

"Some one has to do something," Aragorn declared out loud.   He immediately

saw again that Casey had heard his statement.  

"Great, give everyone another reason to think your f…king nuts," he said harshly

to himself, not knowing how he was hearing his own words told back to him in 

a different voice.

Casey stood outside his house for a few seconds, looking at the back door.  He 

wondered what was going to play out when he walked inside.  He knew it wasn't

going to be pretty.

"They can't ground me forever can they?" he asked himself.  "There has to be

some law against locking me up," he added, knowing that there was going to be

a considerable amount of time without freedom.

"What does he mean ground him Gandalf?" Pippin asked, amazed at all the new

terms he was coming to hear.    He could tell by his cousin's own voice that he

knew he was in serious trouble with his parents.

"It is a punishment that parents use in this world Pippin to ensure that their children are made to stay at home and do as they are told except when they

are supervised," Gandalf said.

"I will have to explore this concept some more when we return to Middle Earth

Gandalf.  I could think of two young impetuous hobbits that it would suit well.

It would also help to keep a certain ring-bearer in his chambers at times when

he is supposed to be resting and not moving about," Aragorn mused, much to the

displeasure of Merry and Pippin.  They were sure that Frodo would be just as

upset as Frodo to hear of such a threat being handed down.

"Here goes, into the lion's den," Casey muttered as he opened the back door

and walked in.    You could have knocked him over with a feather though when

the kitchen and the lounge room were completely empty.

"Mom, Dad?" he called out, thinking it was a little odd that they weren't waiting

to pounce on him as he walked through the door.    Casey now walked upstairs

towards his bedroom, and could hear noise coming from within, indicating that

they were in there.

"What are you doing in my room?" he asked hotly, feeling a little angry that his

parents chose now to invade his own personal space.   For the time being all

thoughts about the creatures he had seen and the murder that he and Delilah

were put aside.

"It would be easier if you told us where you keep it son," his father answered 

as he moved from a cupboard that had been pulled apart.  Nothing it seemed

was getting away from his scrupulous gaze.   He even picked up a couple of

his son's books and looked intently at them, looking for an answer.

"Keep what?" Casey asked, entirely confused as to what his parents were 

looking for.   He had thought they would be ranting and raving about him,

but this current behaviour was definitely perplexing.

"Look in the spine too Frank, I read somewhere that they hide it inside sometimes," Casey's mother said, moving closer to her son as he watch his

belongings being inspected.

Frank Connor now tore one of the books down the spine as if to answer his

wife's direction.  There was nothing there but paper.

"They are school books Dad, now they have to be replaced……..," Casey

began to say when it suddenly dawned on him what his parents must of 

been looking for.

"You have got to be joking Mom," Casey said, feeling his temper rise again,

but this time at the shame of being accused of such things.  "You don't think

I do drugs," he asked accusingly.

The members of the Fellowship were just as outraged as Frodo that the boy's

mother would put such blame on her own son.

"Hey I am bending as far as I can her son, but if you push it," Frank Connor

warned.  This was the first time in a very long time that he could remember

having to act to sternly towards his teenage son.   

"I am telling you something is going on at that school today," Casey said,

trying to retell the story he had already tried to get them to listen to five or six

times.

"Okay that does it, no more privileges," his father said.   "No phone," he announced and confiscated the cordless phone Casey had used the night before.

"No Internet," he added, removing a small portable box from the table.

"No music," he said, looking at his son each time he took something to make

sure he understood that it was a punishment.

The members of the Fellowship though had no misconceptions that what Casey's

father was doing was indeed a punishment.  The teenager was leaning up against

a wall just inside the bedroom door and couldn't hold back the gasps of frustration

he was feeling as he watched his father move about the room, taking his stuff away.   He kept moving around restlessly, unable to comprehend when the unfair

treatment would end but not wanting to make things worse by voicing a verbal

objection.

"His porno collection," his mother whispered to his father and pointed to the

double mattress.  

"His porno collection?" his father said almost in disbelief, not angry but surprised

that his son had kept such a thing secret.  He lifted the first mattress and discovered two magazines there, concealed from view up until now.

"Sorry pal," his father said, waving them in front of them.   Casey's face changed

from one of frustration to shame and then embarrassment at the thought that his

mother knew he had them in the first place.

"What is in them," an innocent sounding Pippin asked, trying to get a look at the

pictures on the front.  Sam had seen them first though and gasped out in shock,

attempting to cover Merry and Pippin's eyes from such a site and looking back

at his master.  "I didn't think it was possible Mr Frodo," he uttered, not meaning

to sound to harsh as to his friend's liking of such material.

"You are grounded," his father now said, standing in front of him.  "You will come directly home each day after school," he began adding.

"I am not going back to that school," Casey said as his fear began to rise again

as to what he had seen.   "They are waiting for me, I know it." 

There was no way that the Fellowship wanted the ring-bearer to go back to

that place of evil either, but they were unable to stop any of the madness that

was ensuing.

"Oh you will go back, even if I have to tie to the bloody desk myself," his 

father said, making it a statement rather than a request.

"We are going to get you some help," his mother said, trying to convince herself

that it was definitely a problem for a specialist.   

"We love you son, but we are going to have to be tough to help you," his father

said.  "Clean up your room," as both of them now went downstairs.

"What are we going to do Sam," Frodo said as he sat down on his bed and tried

to sort out the various thoughts roaming around his head.   The little dog had

taken to hiding under the bed whilst the room was searched, only coming back

out when Casey was left alone.

"I have to get out of here," Casey announced to himself, grabbing a jacket

and putting it on.  He now went to the bed and began arranging the pillows

in an unusual fashion.    

"What is he doing?" Merry asked out loud.

Casey had heard the question and while thinking that he was hearing voices

again, decided to answer the question anyway.

"Hopefully it will be good enough to fool them that I am in bed if they come

in to check up on me," Casey said, now placing the blankets over the pillows.

It then began clearer to the Fellowship what he was trying to do.

"Now, I need some distraction," he said and looked about the room for something

that would work.  His portable stereo had been taken so that was out.  The TV

maybe, but he had that on every night so it might be too much of a risk.   His eyes

finally settled onto the computer and printer on his table and an idea came to him.

Aragorn and the others what in confusion now as Casey raced to the keyboard

and his hands began flying over the letters.  His eyes kept on the printer beside

him until it began making odd noises and spitting out paper.    The machine

continued to work once the teenager moved away from the table.

Frodo now lifted the window to his room and prepared to let himself down the

drain pipe.   

"You can't go out there Mr Frodo," Sam said, worry over his master creeping

through in his voice.   He saw his master pause with one foot still in the room,

and thought that his words might have somehow gotten through to him.

As they moved to the window though, Frodo's friends saw that something else

held the boy's attention at present.    As Casey looked out over the roof of 

his house and down to the street below, he saw three shadowy figures just

outside his house.

"They followed me here," he voiced in fright, recognizing Coach Willis,

Ms Drake and Mrs Olsen standing on the footpath.

The fear in him made him loose his footing and instead of pulling his foot

back inside the room for safety, the Fellowship watched in panic as the

teenager fell, landing on the iron roof and then sliding unceremoniously

downwards.

"Ah………. ah……… oooofff," Casey exclaimed as he completed a most

spectacular dive into the shrubby below his window.    He was laying on

his stomach and trying to get his breath back when he realised that the

teachers had seen him fall and were possibly close enough to grab him.

Casey jumped to his feet, his unseen friends, sighing audibly in relief that

the ring-bearer seemed no worse for wear after his dramatic fall from the

window.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" came a voice behind him.   Casey

turned to see his Dad had heard the noise from the roof and had come

out into the front yard to see what it was.   

"Dad, their here, they followed me………." Casey said looking back

to where he had seen the three standing only a few minutes ago.

Only trouble was, there wasn't anybody there now.   The area was illuminated

by the streetlight on the corner and there was nothing there now but an

empty footpath.

"Get in the house," Frank said to his son, looking around for what his son

was talking about.   He couldn't see anybody.

Casey walked back into his room and closed the door, closing his eyes briefly 

as the fear in him began to subside.  It didn't go away altogether though.

"I have to go back tomorrow," Casey said aloud to himself.  "I have to talk

to Delilah," knowing that she was the only other witness to what had happened.

Casey grabbed one of his videos from his library and put it into the machine 

and pressed play.   He knew that sleep would not be coming easily tonight

as he kept looking back to the window.   He had to try and take his mind

away from the images plaguing him.

He hadn't really been taking any notice of which movie it was.    The next

few words he heard, chilled him to the core as he realised just what they meant:

"_Cannot get out…………. they are coming."_

TO BE CONTINUED……….

Sorry but I couldn't seem to put too much different into this chapter from the 

movie except to entirely change the way the teachers were infected.

The lines are not entirely correct, going from memory.  Anything else is

entirely made up.   Not much happened in this chapter.

Time for some hurt Casey in the next one as I change what happened in the

classroom with Furlong a little (heheh) LOL.

Just for fun.   Hope you like.

JULES

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

FRODO AND THE FACULTY  
  
Author's Notes : This is supposed to be just for fun. I have only just revisited Elijah Wood's movie "The Faculty" and while my mind was taken over, had the idea to write something humorous involving the Fellowship and the movie characters.  
  
As I watched I was thinking, he gets into these roles where he is supposed to save everyone else and decided to take the fun out both.  
  
This is a one off thing - just for entertainment and I hope that people who read this and think that the author has lost her marbles will still continue to read my other stories for LOTR which try and stick closer to the original story line.  
  
The Fellowship can see and hear everything that is going on at the school, including making some interesting comments about the new image for Frodo and his use of colourful language. They cannot interact with him and he doesn't know they exist. Gandalf is only along as purely an advisor for the rest of the Fellowship on some of the more modern things about the human world that they encounter.  
  
Where I can I have chosen a more appropriate method of using such colourful language - i.e. "F.k" and "Sh." where they are needed. I wanted to be mindful that a lot of people might be offended - others not and will make others up as I go along as needed.  
  
I have exaggerated the personalities of all slightly but please don't be offended - just mean as a poke in fun at them all. You don't need to understand why it happens that Frodo is now a high-school kid, just believe it and read and ignore anything that doesn't usually fit our beloved hobbit.  
  
The story begins after ROTK where Frodo is supposed to be famous for his deeds. Gandalf comes rushing in to tell them about Frodo's sudden disappearance and that he now dwells in a new world of humans that needs him to save the day again.  
  
If you haven't read the first chapter or even if you have - it has had some changes done to it so you might want to go back and revisit it before continuing on with this chapter.  
  
NEXT PART  
  
For the Fellowship the remainder of the night was a long one. Casey didn't look like going to sleep for a long time and even took to drinking a few cans of soda to try and keep awake, hoping the high sugar levels would help some.  
  
At about 4.30am though the battle was finally lost and Casey fell into a restless doze on his bed, whilst the TV still played in the background.  
  
"Still avoiding sleep when he is scared isn't he," Merry said ruefully.  
  
"So it would seem," Aragorn agreed as he watched the teenager's face. It would be calm in slumber for a few minutes, but then his brow would frown whilst he was remembering something or in the middle of a nightmare.  
  
The little dog Sam had crawled underneath the boy's arm again and was sound asleep with his master.  
  
At about 7.30, Casey's mother came into the room like she had done the previous morning, except this time she did wake her son in time for school.  
  
"Casey," she said, giving him a slight nudge to his shoulder.  
  
"Mmn," came the half-hearted reply from Casey, still with his eyes closed, hoping whatever it was would just go away if he ignored it.  
  
"Casey you have to get up because your father is driving you to school today," his mother said firmly.  
  
"What!" Casey said in answer to the statement, clearly awake now and annoyed. "Doesn't trust me anymore," he muttered angrily as he got off the bed and stomped off into the bathroom.  
  
Casey's mother left the room without a word, knowing that the breakfast table was going to be like a war zone this morning. She had already made breakfast for her husband and her son. Time now to step aside so she didn't get caught up in what was evitable.  
  
The Fellowship could see that Casey was clearly not happy about the whole situation. He didn't currently show any of the fear that he had felt the previous night about what might happen today. He was ticked off about being treated like a five year old.  
  
"God Damn it if he wants to fight then I give him one," Casey said harshly as he put his sneakers on as he thought about his father. This was an entirely different new side of the ring-bearer that Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli were not accustomed to seeing.  
  
The other three hobbits though looked at each other and knew what lay in store. Each of them were only too aware of how stubborn their darker haired friend could become if he wanted to.  
  
"That's the Baggins coming out in him," Merry said to the group. "Seen it myself at Brandy Hall maybe once or twice too. Not a pretty site my cousin when he is mad at something. Pippin nodded his head in agreement, remembering facing a rather angry Frodo only once but not wishing to do it again anytime soon.  
  
"Aye, once Mr Frodo sets his mind to something, there's nothing that changes it," Sam admitted.  
  
Casey went downstairs and sat at the breakfast table, instead of coming right out and confronting his father though, the teenager decided to exactly the opposite and give his dad the silent treatment. He used his facial expression and eyes to relay whatever feelings he wanted to display.  
  
When he sat down though, his father saw what his son intended to do and decided to go along with the mind games himself. He knew that his son could show incredible amounts of stubbornness if he had a mind to. Now it just had to be seen who would buckle under the pressure first.  
  
Mrs Connor placed the full jug of orange juice between father and son and looked briefly at each of them as the sat opposite each other, waiting for the battle of wits to begin.  
  
"Pass the butter please son," Frank Connor asked, knowing he didn't really want it but beginning the proceedings. Casey never said anything, nor did his gaze wander from his father. He felt around with his hand until the butter container was in his hand and pushed it towards his father.  
  
This little charade kept going for the next twenty minutes or so, Frank Connor asking his son to pass various items from the table that were in reaching distance from himself.  
  
Casey's grit and determination never wavered though, doing exactly what he asked without questioning but still staring down the man and waiting for him to admit he was wrong about the way he had unfairly treated his son the night before.  
  
"Ready to go to school?" Connor asked calmly, noting the blue flash he got in return. He knew that his son didn't want to go to school for some reason today. He had no intentions of believing any of the story that Casey had offered as an excuse the night before. But still in the back of his mind he couldn't remember any other times when Casey had not wanted to go school.  
  
Casey had hardly eaten anything again, much to the unseen scowl of Sam but quickly put his half-finished plate in the sink and followed his father out the door towards the car.  
  
"At least he isn't going to use those ridiculous contraptions on his feet today," Gimli commented. The others couldn't help but agree that they too felt a little relieved that there was an alternative method of transport to be adopted today.  
  
The tension in the car when they first drove off between Casey and his father was obvious, even to the Fellowship. There was no talk. Frank Connor drove the car. Casey sat in the front passenger seat, as close to the door as he could get as if to avoid any physical contact with his father.  
  
But halfway through the drive, the atmosphere changed, almost as if Casey had put on a different set of clothes. He could sense they were nearing the school, and his actions and thoughts of rebelliousness were all forgotten about as a new feelings began invading his senses: fear.  
  
Aragorn saw the look in the teenager's eyes and knew he had seen it before. Frodo had often tried to hide all of his feelings along the journey to Mordor, but unfortunately for him, his expressive blue eyes always gave away just exactly what he didn't want others to know.  
  
The car now pulled up outside the school building and Casey looked out at it. He had seen this building so many times before, but today was different. Despite the normal crowd of students that could be seen on any other given day, there was also an eeriness that couldn't be described.  
  
Casey looked back at this father to see if he might have had a change of heart. No such luck though he thought to himself as Frank Connor looked directly over the steering wheel as if ignoring any sad or pleading looks his son might give him.  
  
"Please Dad, don't make me do this," Casey asked, uttering the first words he had spoken that morning.  
  
There was a tone in his son's voice that almost made Frank Connor want to say to his son that it was okay not to go today. But they were only in his mind and never left his lips.  
  
"Go on son. Come home after school, your mother is getting you into a doctor," Frank Connor said, a little uneasy about admitting the fact that his son might need professional help.  
  
Casey's frustration and anger began to emerge once again at the hearing of going to a doctor. He knew exactly what sort of doctor they were talking about and it wasn't one that just took your temperature or measured you to see how tall you had grown.  
  
"Fine, but mostly likely he will have to see me down at the morgue in a body bag," Casey said harshly.  
  
"Son," Frank Connor started to say, trying to call Casey back to let him calm down a little before stomping off.  
  
"Forget it Dad, if I don't come home at all today you will know that I am dead," Casey spat and got out of the car and slammed the door before starting to walk towards the building.  
  
Merry and Pippin had both paled considerably at their cousin talking about his own death. They didn't like it one little bit and looking back at the shocked faces of the other Fellowship members, neither did any of them.  
  
Casey was about halfway across the grassed area when he heard a voice from behind him, "Mr Connor."  
  
When he turned around, he was surprised to see his father's car still parked in the same place and his fear began to grow again when he noted that Coach Willis had strolled over to casually talk to his father.  
  
Casey paused for a few seconds and looked back with a feeling of helplessness. He had been angry at his father this morning about last night, but he still didn't want to see anything happen to him. When he saw his father and Coach Willis nod in his direction as they spoke about him in their conversation, Casey couldn't help but feel a shiver run up and down his spine.  
  
"I am afraid that Casey's father is no longer human either," Gandalf commented to the Fellowship. "Casey can no longer rely on him for help."  
  
Sam couldn't hide his feeling of relief that his master Frodo wasn't still seated in the car with his father when Coach Willis had approached.  
  
"One by one they are getting to people like they did that nurse," Legolas commented. Not wanting to voice the unspoken one he thought how long before they try and get to the ring-bearer.  
  
Casey seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as he started to walk through the front doors of the school. The Fellowship were relieved to note that nothing like the previous day had happened when he arrived.  
  
The teenager continued to walk through the crowd of students, barely aware of their presence as he tried to figure out in his mind what he was going to do. He hadn't seen any sign of Delilah yet out the front and wondered if she had even turned up today. Couldn't very well blame her if she didn't.  
  
Casey suddenly looked up at the right time and was confronted by a different looking Delilah than he was used to seeing. The girl who was forever known for checking her make-up and hair now had her hair pulled back in a ponytail and wore thick black framed glasses on her face.  
  
Casey had to check twice that it was her. "Whoa, you look....," he tried to say, hiding the laugh he felt inside.  
  
"Don't ..come on we have got to talk," Delilah said grabbing by his shirt sleeve and leading him into the senior boy's bathroom.  
  
There had been some other boys present at the time that look at her kinda strange like when they entered. They had given a few raised eyebrow looks but left all the same, leaving Casey and Delilah alone in the room.  
  
"Did you tell your parents what happened?" Delilah asked hoping that he had been able to get somebody to listen to his version of events.  
  
"Are you kidding. Things at home are very different after last night," Casey replied, not wanting to go into full details of what had been said between him and his parents.  
  
"How about you, did you talk to your mother last night?" Casey queried.  
  
"No she didn't believe me. My mother drinks," she said, not really wanting to admit that secret to a great deal of people. "It was a nightmare too."  
  
Casey and Delilah stopped speaking for a few minutes while they listened to a message being played out over the PA system.  
  
"Would the following students please report to the principal's office immediately" the message said and then started rattling off a list of names.  
  
"All the top people in the school," Delilah said as she heard the names and tried to place them in the school hierarchy.  
  
"Now they want me," she said as she heard her own name called out over the microphone. This is all your fault. You dragged me into this," she said, not really trying to put the blame on him, but not being able to hide her fear about what was going on.  
  
"Why isn't Casey's name being called then?" Legolas inquired, having listened to the girl's explanation for the roll call.  
  
"I don't think they hold his presence in the best respect like we do in Middle-Earth," Gandalf said, noting the displeasure on the faces of the others at such a statement.  
  
"We have to go to the police," Delilah said, grasping at straws rather than giving helpful solutions.  
  
"No I am telling you they have got the police," Casey replied, the images of the police officer from the night before suddenly appearing in his mind.  
  
"Well what else do we do then huh? Tell me because I don't even know what we are talking about here. Neither one of us knows what the hell those things are that we saw," Delilah said.  
  
"They could be here for any reason, who the f..k knows," Casey responded, not having any more solutions than her.  
  
"I am going to find Stan," Delilah stated, walking out of the cubicle and hoping the explain the situation to somebody else that might be able to help.  
  
"Stan, why the hell Stan," Casey said as he followed her.  
  
When the two teenagers reached the corridor, both of them paused for a minute to look at the long line of students running from the back of the school building all the way to the front office.  
  
Some of them were the names called out over the PA system, but other than that it looked as though everyone in the school was lined up their except for a select few.  
  
Casey turned around to see Delilah spotting Stan, the football star and dragging him off somewhere to tell him what had been going on. He couldn't shake the creepy feeling he got seeing the long line of students along the corridor.  
  
Standing in the middle of the corridor wondering what to do next, when he spotted somebody else who was looking at the long line with just as much uneasiness as himself.  
  
He knew that he should be doing the same as Delilah and trying to convince somebody else. Whether not the person he saw would believe him or not was another question. She wasn't your ordinary girl, but there was something else about Stokeley that drew his attention to her.  
  
Stokeley had been trying to get a look at what was happening to all of the people lined up along the corridor. At one point she could get a good look at one of them sitting in a chair and the school nurse giving him what appeared to be an ear examination.  
  
Her view was quickly obscured though as Ms Drake appeared from behind the door in the room and closed it to conceal exactly what was going on. This only made Stokeley think that something was definitely amiss even more. She couldn't quite understand it yet, but there was some weird sh.t happening here.  
  
"Hey Stokeley, got a minute," Casey said, walking up to her. At first he thought she might just tell him off, but to his surprise she nodded her head, knowing that he was noticing the weird stuff too.  
  
The two of them went to the school library and sat down in the very back of the room, hopefully out of ear shot from everyone else.  
  
"So then we just ran," Casey finished, telling the girl the entire story of what had happened to him and Stan in the showers and then with Delilah in the teachers lounge. He told her about the police involvement and finding the body of the old teacher in the closet.  
  
"There's definitely something going on here," Stokeley said looking around the room.  
  
"What do you think is going on?" Casey asked plainly.  
  
"I don't know Casey you tell me. I mean yeah all of that stuff sounds creepy and all. But will you listen to yourself, your talking as if you think there are aliens or something in the school," Stokeley said.  
  
"Well how else do you explain what has been happening. All of the teachers are acting so differently lately and drinking all that water. It's just not natural or something."  
  
"If you go telling people the same story you just told me they are going to think you have been rammed into the flag pole one too many times Casey."  
  
"It's kinda cool though when you think about it a little more. That something like the Body Snatchers is happening right here," Stokeley said with a sly grin.  
  
It was at this point that Casey knew Stokeley believed at least part of his story, no matter how much she tried to say otherwise.  
  
"Okay, so let's say this is like the movies, what is missing?"  
  
"Well in the Body Snatchers they were pod people but if that is what is happening where are the pods."  
  
"There are no pods, at least not that I have seen. They were little slimy slugs or something coming out of Willis."  
  
"In some others they were like parasites," Stokeley said, trying to give another possibility.  
  
Stokeley and Casey walked out of the library together, in an attempt to meet up with Delilah and Stan. They didn't need to wait long though and the four of them now stood together in the middle of the corridor.  
  
"I filled Stan in," Delilah said to Casey.  
  
"I think Stokeley might be onto something," Casey offered.  
  
"Really Delilah said with doubt in her words.  
  
It was no secret that Delilah and Stokeley were absolutely worlds apart when it came to personality. They hated each other with a passion and what each other stood for. But at the moment they had little choice but to be thrown together in amidst the mess and chaos before they too became victims of what was happening at the school.  
  
"Come on, let's talk somewhere else," Casey suggested and led the other three towards Furlong's classroom.  
  
The four teenagers entered the room, expecting to see the creature that Casey had found yesterday still swimming around in the aquarium at the back of the room. As they came closer though, the aquarium was now completely empty but for the water that had been left behind.  
  
"What did they do to it?" Casey said out loud, not really talking to anyone in particular.  
  
"Maybe Furlong sent it to a university like he said," Stokeley said.  
  
"Doubt it," Casey said, not being able to shake that this was all connected.  
  
"Will somebody please tell me what the hell is going on around here," Stan said, looking at Casey for an explanation.  
  
Casey looked at the two girls hoping they would jump in before him and tell Stan, but to no avail. They were both looking at him, waiting for him to speak first.  
  
"Casey?" Stan said, not letting the teenager off the hook any time soon.  
  
"It all started yesterday when I found this thing on the sports oval," Casey began, starting at the beginning of the story. "You saw what it did when it was put in the tank here when it suddenly grew teeth."  
  
Stan listened but then shrugged his shoulders, still not grasping everything that he was being told and certainly not being able to draw any inferences from that to what Delilah had told him a short time ago.  
  
"We think that aliens are trying to take over the school through the faculty," Casey said, taking as deep breath to say it all in one sentence.  
  
Delilah and Stokeley looked from Casey to Stan, trying to gauge what his reaction was to such a statement.  
  
"What is an alien Gandalf?" Aragorn asked, listening to the conversation.  
  
"It is the name given to things of this world that are not understood or believed to come from other worlds," Gandalf explained. "Like some that he saw in those movies on Casey's TV."  
  
The Fellowship nodded their heads in understanding, but keeping their focus on Casey and the other teenagers. They looked at the four of them in the room and knew that they were part of the new Fellowship that was to be formed to try and overcome this new threat.  
  
At first there was no comment. Then out of the blue Stan began laughing. He found the entire notion to be utterly ridiculous but looking back at the faces of the other three, knew that they at least believed this as a plausible explanation.  
  
"Aliens are taking over the school? Give me a f.king break."  
  
"If you don't want to believe us Stan then go on and get the f.k out of here and take your little b.ch with you," Delilah said, knowing that Stokeley had undisclosed feelings for Stan.  
  
"F..k you tit bags," Stokeley said in self-defence.  
  
"Guys can we all just calm down here a little please," Casey said, seeing that emotions were running high and beginning to get the better of them all.  
  
"How are they going to work together and survive if they can't even talk to each other?" Sam asked as he watched the cat fight between the two girls. It was quite uncommon back in Middle-Earth to see two ladies fighting, especially in the Shire where most tried to get along.  
  
"Okay Casey, let's go alien for a second here," Stan challenged, trying to get his mind around the whole idea. "If they are in the school, why would they attack here first? Why now?"  
  
"If you were going to take over the world, would to do it so that everyone stood up and took notice or sneak in through the back door?" Casey replied, giving his theory on why they had chosen now to reveal themselves and their intentions.  
  
The other three were pondering this idea, unaware that two others were listening to the entire conversations about aliens and taking over the school as well.  
  
Zeke and Mary-Beth walked into the classroom, but not before Zeke had made a god-awful noise that made Casey jump about six feet in the air.  
  
Casey almost had a heart-attack and was still trying to get himself under control when he saw the others approach.  
  
"Casey... the only person in this school who is an alien man is you," Zeke teased.  
  
"Don't you go calling my Mr Frodo names," Sam said, not happy at all about what was going on. But as it would happen, Casey had scathing words of his own to say.  
  
"F.k You Zeke!" Casey said.  
  
"Oh Casey," Zeke said, now over acting and trying to make out as if the words had wounded him gravely. Casey couldn't help but feel a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth at the antics.  
  
Before any further conversation could take place about aliens or anything else another voice addressed the six students from behind.  
  
"What are you all doing in here. Shouldn't you all be in class right about now," came the question from Mr Furlong as he entered the room.  
  
Zeke took it upon himself to speak on everyone's behalf, "Its like this Mr Furlong, see Casey here, thinks you are an alien." he said, thinking the teacher would take the whole thing as a joke.  
  
"Really?" Furlong said, starting to laugh but then abruptly stopping and walking over to the door and closing the blind so that nobody could peer in.  
  
"Oh thanks a lot Zeke, just throw me into the fire why don't you," Casey said, a little annoyed that he was getting the blame first.  
  
"Is this true Casey?" Furlong asked, now walking towards him directly.  
  
"The whole faculty actually," Stan added.  
  
Stan and the girls had now taken a few steps back, noting a difference in the teacher's demeanour. Zeke was standing near the fish aquarium with Casey a few metres to his left, closest to Furlong.  
  
"The thing I found yesterday, where is it?" Casey asked, thinking the teacher might be able to shed some light on the matter.  
  
"I sent it to the university," Furlong said, pausing slightly as he spoke. Something about the man's changed behaviour made all in the room doubt what he said.  
  
"Do they know what it is?" Stokeley asked.  
  
Furlong just shrugged his shoulders in a non-committal gesture, not offering any better explanation.  
  
The tension in the room was thick and making all nervous and uncomfortable.  
  
"Well I hate to interrupt this little get together Mr Furlong, but I have got.....," Zeke said as he began walking towards the door.  
  
Furlong reached out with an arm though and took a strong hold of the boy's shirt sleeve.  
  
"If you would all just take your seats, this will all be over quite quickly," Furlong said, indicating exactly what he intended to do with them all.  
  
Zeke tried to make a break for it but was hurled across the room away from the others by the teacher.  
  
Furlong now walked up to Casey before he even realised what was happening and grabbed the lean teenager around the throat with one hand.  
  
"I said now!" the teacher warned, using Casey as his bargaining chip.  
  
Casey's eyes were wide with fear as he tried to use his hands to pry the choking grip from around his neck.  
  
The Fellowship were horrified that their friend was being held in such a manner. They could see the teacher's fingers digging painfully into the boy's soft skin, causing Casey to gasp in pain.  
  
Aragorn and Legolas wished they could do something physically to help Frodo but they couldn't. They were relieved though when it seemed that Casey's classmates were determined to prevent the teachers hurting him any further, just like they would have.  
  
Zeke had a crude looking blade in his hand, raised over his shoulder in a threatening manner, "Put him the f.k down Furlong," he warned noting that the teacher was trying to make his grip even tighter so as to raise Casey's feet off the floor a little.  
  
Stan could see what the teacher planned to do but wasn't quick enough as Furlong used all of the force in his arm and threw Casey across the room. The teenager landed against a filing cabinet against the back wall and his head caught the edge.  
  
Casey gave a brief and startled cry as he was rendered unconscious before landing on the floor in a crumpled heap.  
  
"Mr Frodo....Mr Frodo," Sam cried out in alarm as he scrambled beside his fallen master, unable to help him. Aragorn was trying his best to assist Frodo's condition without being able to physically take a look.  
  
The girls even showed concern on their faces at what they had seen happen.  
  
But they were now huddled together towards the other side of the classroom, trying to edge as far away from Furlong as possible.  
  
Stan did actually reached Casey after he landed awkwardly calling out to him, but there was no response. Casey was lying on his side, facing the others, but his eyes were closed and he didn't move.  
  
Stan shook the unconscious Casey a few times, "He's out cold," he offered.  
  
TBC  
  
Not very good but anyway.....  
  
JULES 


End file.
